Empathy
by The-Lady-Isis
Summary: Diana's greatest strength is being used to destroy her - and the only one who can save her is the League's resident emotional black hole...but the problem is falling in love with her was not part of the plan. And could cost Diana everything. DON'T OWN.
1. Diana's Greatest Strength

**Disclaimer: I own no characters, locations, et cetera, et cetera. **

**A/N: I decided to try my hand at a longer BMWW fic, and so here it is. Now the first chapter is long, and boring, and not terribly connected to the rest of the story, but you should read it anyway – focus on what Diana does when dealing with each situation, and enjoy!**

**Chapter One – Diana's Greatest Strength**

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?"

"No, Flash."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Batman glowered at the World's Fastest Man. "Flash. Do I look like I want cherries?"

"Well…no."

"Then stop wasting my time," he replied, turning his attention back to the double espresso in front of him. Deciding to get away from the younger man as fast as possible, he picked up the tiny cup and threw it back, grimacing at its still too-hot temperature. The caffeine was definitely needed though — somehow he'd managed to not notice that he had a morning monitor duty; a very rare lapse. He put it down to him getting old.

He stood, and Flash put himself in the Dark Knight's way. And swiftly got out of it when on the receiving end of a Batglare. "But, Bats, c'mon! I've been trying to get a date with this girl for ages, and the only day she could do I've got monitor duty and-"

"So rearrange it," he said, walking down the hallway.

"I'm trying, but you won't let me!"

"The _date_, Flash."

"But that could be days away! Weeks, even!"

Batman stopped. Turned. Glared.

Flash stopped. Gulped. Backed away.

"I'm going to be clear about this," he said, taking a step forward. "I'm tired. I'm hungry. I'm late. And I'm _irritated_. Go. Away."

Flash went — grudgingly, but he went.

Feeling slightly satisfied, Batman went into the Monitor Womb to relieve Superman.

* * *

Diana plonked an iced mocha in front of Flash. "You look depressed."

"Yeah…" her friend sighed.

"What's wrong?" she asked, taking a slurp of her own drink.

"I had a date."

"Had?"

"Yeah. I had to cancel because Mr Tall, Dark and Broody wouldn't let me switch monitor duty."

Diana frowned. "Batman? Why not?"

Flash gave her a sceptical look. "It's Bats. Does he need a reason?"

She smiled. "I'll swap shifts with you if you need me to, Flash."

He brightened immediately. "Really?"

"Sure. It's not like I have a date to go on," she grinned.

"You would if you'd just stop turning down every guy that asks you," he pointed out, picking up his drink. "Why do you do that, by the way?"

Diana shrugged. "Just never found the right guy."

"Di, you're not looking for marriage, just a first date. You've never found any of them attractive?"

Honestly, she couldn't say that she had. She didn't understand how men could expect her to agree to date them without them knowing the first thing about one another. The attention had been bemusing at first, then flattering, but now it was simply annoying. She couldn't deny there were certain parts of Man's World she liked, but so much of it seemed to be superficial. At charity functions and ambassadors' balls she'd danced with lots of men, talked with them, even tried her hand at flirting with a few, and they all asked the same questions, had the same expression when they looked at her. And the last dance that she'd actually got active pleasure from… She frowned. Had been interrupted by Kasnian separatists. Hera, that was depressing.

"Maybe I do need a date," she admitted. "But I will not date a man I am not attracted to." _And the moment, the number of men I am attracted to would add up to a grand total of…one_, she thought privately. "Anyway, I'll take your monitor duty — but would you mind taking my shift on the eighteenth?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "Why?"

"It's Audrey's birthday — she's invited me to go shopping with her in New York. Now I can go." With that, Diana got up and went to call her friend feeling more cheerful. Thinking about men (and Bruce) could wait. She hadn't gotten more than a few steps out of the cafeteria though, before she stopped again – her sharp hearingpicking up the sound of someone crying in the room to her right. Frowning, she looked toward it. That was Hawkgirl's room.

Things still weren't as smooth as they had been between the two women, but they were getting better everyday. And friendship could only come from friendly gestures. A friendly gesture would be finding out why Shayera was crying — even if she couldn't do anything about it.

Taking a deep breath, she knocked on the door. "Hawkgirl? It's Diana."

There was a pause, and then the door opened, revealing Shayera, red-faced, and her eyes bloodshot from crying. As soon as the door was open fully, she threw herself into a very-stunned Wonder Woman's arms. Diana's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she patted the redhead gingerly on the back. "Uh, are you okay?" Stupid question, but it was the only thing she could think of to say.

"I d-don't what's the m-matter with me!" she sobbed. "B-but it's the m-most stupid thing, and I…" The rest of the sentence was lost as her voice broke under the weight of her tears.

Diana turned her around and sat Shayera on her bed. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

She nodded miserably and sniffed. Diana flew down the hallway to the commissary, grabbed two more iced mochas and then flew back, arriving back only a little slower than Flash would have managed. She handed one to Hawkgirl and sat down next to her. "Here."

"Thanks," Shayera said dully, no longer crying. In fact now she seemed to be angry at herself. "I can't believe I'm being so stupid!" she growled.

"What is it?" Diana asked.

Still sniffing, Shayera reached over to her left and picked up a sock. A man's sock. Clean. Ish. But definitely a man's sock. Diana frowned. "Whose is this?"

"It's John's."

Her eyes widened again. "You mean- You two are together again? When did that happen?"

"Well…not really. At least…I don't know, Diana, I thought maybe-"

"Start from the beginning," Diana said firmly, but not unkindly. "And keep it simple. Why is Lantern's sock in your room?"

"Because we slept together," Shayera said, avoiding her eyes.

Swallowing her surprise, Diana continued. "And why are you crying over his sock?"

"Because I thought maybe- we might give it another go. I mean, Diana, it just felt _right_. It was the right time, we were both just honest with each other for the first time in months and… It was like coming home."

"So what's the problem?"

"The problem is that was like four weeks ago and we haven't spoken since! And I swear he's avoiding me! I-I went to talk to him yesterday but…"

"But?" Diana prompted.

"I heard him talking to someone through the door. Mari, I guess. And saying that he wanted to give them another shot, that the time was right to try again." At the end of the sentence, Shayera burst into tears again. "And then this morning I found this damn sock under my bed and I couldn't- I just-"

"It's okay," Diana said, rubbing her back comfortingly between her wings. "You're allowed to be upset, it's natural. You wanted this, and he gave the impression he did too." She swallowed, not liking the fact that her words could all-too-easily be applied to her as well. She pushed the memories back. She was here to be a friend to Shayera, not to wallow in her own regrets.

"Yeah but not upset like this!" Hawkgirl replied angrily. "I mean think about it, Diana, a year ago I would have just _bludgeoned _him to death with my mace – now I'm _crying _over him?! What the hell's happened to me?"

Diana smiled slightly. "Maybe you're just hormonal."

Her friend managed a watery smile. "You could be right." Then all the blood drained from her face. "Diana!" she whispered.

"What is it?"

"You- You don't think I might be…? We didn't use protection, and I haven't had my period yet. Oh, my God…" She was looking wildly all around the room, as well as looking ready to rend John's sock into a million pieces. Her green gaze finally came to rest on Diana's equally stunned expression. "I'm pregnant, aren't I?"

"Well…" She stood up and began pacing. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Okay, so there is a chance you could be - but you also might not be. If you're stressed then your body gets disrupted. And you are stressed." She squeezed Shayera's hands and moved toward the door. "I'm going to go to the medical bay and see if J'onn has any tests, and you're going to sit tight until I get back, okay? Drink your mocha."

"Diana?"

She paused at the door. "Yes?"

"Thank you. You… You have no idea how much it means for me to have a friend in this."

Diana smiled, glad that it looked as though their friendship was finally repaired. It wasn't the way she would have chosen to mend it, but somehow there didn't need to be an apology. They were both women of actions, not words. "Anytime."

When she got to the medical bay, J'onn wasn't there, so she went looking for him. She found him in the Monitor Womb, talking quietly with Batman. "J'onn?"

They both turned, and she smiled apologetically at the Martian. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I have a word?" she asked, tapping the side of her head. It would be easier this way to explain the situation.

He nodded, his eyes glowing slightly. _What is it? Are you well?_

_I'm fine, but Shayera may not be. Do you have any pregnancy tests in the medical bay?_

His expression turned extremely surprised, but he nodded. _I believe so — at the far end of the bay, the left middle cabinet, middle shelf- _Leaving the long-winded explanation, he simply sent her a mental picture of where it was with a rueful smile.

She grinned. "Thanks, J'onn." Her grin faded. "Oh by the way, Batman, I've swapped shifts with Flash on the eighteenth."

"Really?" he asked flatly.

"Yes," she said defiantly. "That's what friends do, isn't it? Do each other favours?"

Before he could utter another word, she spun on her heel and left the room, heading to get a test for Hawkgirl. Five minutes later, the two women were pacing at equal speed across Shayera's room. "It's not going to be positive," the redhead muttered. "I mean how could it be? The idea of me as a… I mean that's silly… Even if we _do_- I mean eventually, not…"

Diana remained silent, knowing that it definitely could and probably would be positive. An image of Rex Stewart's face flashed in her mind, and she mentally tried to calculate how old he'd been. If he hadn't been conceived soon, then he would have to be within a year. Though if Lantern was back with Vixen…she pushed down the outrage on Shayera's behalf. It wasn't her place to exact retribution — even if it was the kind of behaviour that her mother had always warned her about. She wouldn't have expected it from Lantern, though. He didn't seem like the type to simply use women. No one she knew did — except maybe Bruce Wayne, and she knew that he _didn't_, even if he was careful to maintain that impression. There was no way he'd do it to her, certainly — he'd made it quite clear that there was no chance they'd ever be sleeping together. Even if sometimes she was inches away from simply throwing him down and taking him on the table. For Hera's sake, did he think it was only _men _that had needs? There were some itches that just couldn't be scratched alone, and-

"Has it been two minutes yet?" Shayera asked, breaking into Diana's mental (not so unpleasant) imaginings.

Diana glanced at the clock on the nightstand, and nodded hesitantly. "Yes."

"C-can you look at it?" she stammered. "I don't think I can."

Diana nodded and took a deep breath, then looked at the pregnancy test. Knowing Shayera she'd want a quick answer. "It's positive," she blurted. "You're pregnant."

Very slowly, Shayera sat down on the edge of her bed and exhaled softly. She didn't move or speak for another thirty seconds, and then when she did she was surprisingly calm. "Okay."

"Okay?" Diana questioned, not sure her friend had really heard it. "Shayera…you're pregnant. With John's child. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to go tell him," was the answer.

She was gone incredibly quickly, leaving Diana blinking blankly at the empty room. "Hera."

* * *

One week later, 4:28 am GMT

Strangely, considering who the parents to-be were, and how tumultuous their relationship had always been, things panned out relatively smoothly. It turned out what Shayera had over heard was John _rehearsing _what he was going to say to her — more than that, he'd actually been planning a proposal — though not exactly for romantic reasons; he was simply tired of waiting. In his words, they'd wasted enough time. No one could argue with that, and Flash had jumped in to organise a party for everyone in the League.

By this time of night, however, most people had gone to bed, leaving only Flash, Diana and the happy couple still awake. Superman was just leaving, and wishing everyone goodnight. "And don't stay up too late!" he called on his way out the door.

"Yes, Dad!" Flash yelled back.

"We really should clear all this up," Diana said, looking at the silly string that coated every surface and discarded party poppers lying around. She didn't move.

"I got it!" Wally said, temporarily disappearing. Within thirty seconds, he was back, and every table was gleaming.

"Thanks, buddy," John said, clapping Flash on the shoulder.

Shayera yawned. "I think I'm going to bed."

"I'll be a minute," her fiancé said.

She bent to kiss him lingeringly. "Don't be too long," she murmured with a husky note in her voice.

John's eyes followed her slightly swaying hips out of the room while Diana and Flash looked embarrassedly at each other. "Thanks," Lantern said after a moment. "To both of you."

"No problem," Flash grinned.

"What else are friends for?" Diana agreed.

The doors hissed open again, and Batman stepped through them. He nodded without a word and headed to the coffee machine. "Hey, when d'you get here?" Flash asked.

"Thirty seven seconds ago," he replied curtly, collecting his coffee and departing again.

Diana sighed and frowning. His posture had been a little more rigid than usual — there was something wrong. She stood. "Goodnight, Flash. And don't worry, Lantern," she added, squeezing his shoulder. "You're going to make a wonderful father."

They both wished her goodnight, and she left, heading for where she knew Batman would be — he almost never used his room at the Watchtower except for when he had League-related work to do that for some fathomable-to-Batman-only reason couldn't be done in the Cave. Still, there were some perks to knowing the pass-code for his room. Not that she'd enter without knocking, of course. However, she never got the chance, since as soon as she raised her hand to knock, the door opened.

"What, Diana?"

She knew him too well to be surprised, and only entered, sitting down on the edge of the bed and looking expectantly at the dark-cloaked figure in the chair. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She only looked at him. "Bruce."

There was a pause, then he sighed and pushed his cowl back. Knowing that unless there was something seriously wrong he never did that on board the Watchtower, she frowned harder. "It was a slow night," he said.

"Isn't that good?" she asked.

"If the Joker was in Arkham, yeah, it'd be good, but he's not, and the almost total lack of crime is disconcerting. Worse, I can't locate him – none of my sources have any information, and there was no clues that I can find anywhere in the city."

The frown on Diana's face got deeper. If _Batman _couldn't find him, then the Joker must have gone deep underground. _Really _deep. Planning-some-kind-of-monumental-crime deep. "Would J'onn be able to locate him telepathically?"

"That was my thought too," he replied. "He's on his way here, since I had some paperwork that needed doing."

"Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?" she asked.

He stiffened as she put a hand on his shoulder. Why had he allowed himself to be alone with her? It never turned out well. It unlocked bits of his soul that were best left closed. "I'm sure."

She left her hand where it was. "I'm here, Bruce. If you…want to talk." She mentally kicked herself as she said it — Batman wanting to talk was about as likely as her mother opening Themyscira to tourists. She sighed and dropped her hand. "Never mind, that was stupid."

"Why was it stupid?" he asked, not looking at her.

"Because you won't confide in someone you don't trust absolutely," she said simply, moving to the door.

She was stopped by his next words. "I do trust you, Diana."

She turned, incredulous, to look at him. He looked back at her, utterly serious — his gaze actually open for once. Her eyes widened; he trusted her. It was right there in his dark blue eyes. She swallowed, then frowned again as a new thought occurred to her. Her gaze flickered slightly. "Then it is yourself you do not trust?"

He opened his mouth, but suddenly both their communicators went off, and Green Arrow's voice came over the link. "_Wonder Woman, Batman?_"

"Go ahead," they said in unison.

"_Got an alert coming in from the Amazon Basin,_" he said. "_Huge energy discharge there. Lantern and Flash are already there, but they're requesting backup asap._"

"On the way," Batman said, pulling the cowl back up and leaving the room before Diana could say anything. Why was it that any time they began this conversation it always got interrupted? Not that Bruce wouldn't have done his utmost to evade the question anyway. Seething slightly, she followed him to the transporters.

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**A/N: Review please!**


	2. She

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews!**

**Chapter Two — She**

"Arrrrrrrrrrrgh!"

Copperhead's scream was cut off as Wonder Woman casually tossed him into a tree. Then the tree fell down on top of him. Diana winced slightly. More deforestation was _not_ what the Amazon jungle needed. She looked around, taking stock of the situation before she flew back into the fray. They weren't fighting the Injustice Gang exactly, since they were now just a bunch of miscreants who had apparently just banded together and for some reason come to the Amazon Basin. It still wasn't clear what they were after, but they'd already destroyed several villages on the banks of the river, and had to be stopped. Giganta was busy being tripped up by Flash, Batman was keeping Cheetah busy and Lantern was trading energy blows with Star Sapphire.

There was an almighty crash as Flash succeeded, and Giganta went flying into the cliff-wall, under whose shadow they were currently working. The rock wall crumbled under her weight, and she soon shrunk down to her normal size, unconscious. While Lantern kept Star Sapphire distracted, Diana flew up behind her, tapped her on the shoulder and then knocked her out when she turned to look. Lantern nodded in thanks and wiped his forehead.

"Copperhead and Giganta are down," Diana told him. "Just Cheetah-"

Cheetah flew past them with a hiss, landing on her feet snarling at Batman. She coiled, and pounced on him again, pinning him to a tree with an evil smirk. "Now why do we have to fight?" she purred in his ear. "Rumour is you have a thing for cats."

Batman's only answer was to jerk his head viciously back, connecting with Cheetah's nose and making her stumble backward with another growl. Diana took the opportunity and looped her lasso over Cheetah, then pulled it tight, binding her with perhaps a little more force than she would have ordinarily used. Within another two minutes, Giganta, Cheetah, Copperhead and Star Sapphire were all bound in the golden cord. "They all out?" Lantern asked.

Diana rabbit-punched Cheetah right between the eyes. "They are now," she said innocently.

"Hey, look at this!" Flash called, looking at the rock wall that Giganta had destroyed. "It's hollow." GL and Diana went over, looking at where he was pointing. "Think we should go in?" the speedster asked.

"Not now," Diana said. "We have to get them to the authorities-"

Batman's voice broke in. "Batman to Watchtower. We have Giganta and some Injustice Gang members that need transporting to the holding cells."

The four villains disappeared in a burst of light, and they all frowned at the Dark Knight in question. "Why did you do that?" Diana asked. It didn't seem like Bruce to do that — the removal of the bad guys was top priority, there was no way he'd ignore that just to explore a cave.

"That," he said, pointing.

At Flash's feet, the large splinters of the rock still lay, partly covered in green growth. The parts that weren't, however, had writing carved into them.

"What does it say?" GL asked.

Flash shrugged. "No idea. It's written in some kinda ancient language-"

"It's ancient Sumerian," Batman cut in. "And it says, 'Beware She who rests here' and, 'Do not disturb this eternal tomb, or the consequences for thee shall be dire'." As he finished, he glared at Flash, who grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Uh, oops?"

Diana raised an eyebrow at Batman. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised you can read ancient Sumerian."

"Never mind that," he replied. "We need to worry about who this 'She' is."

"Well we're not going to find out standing here, are we?" she said, walking inside before he could stop her.

Lantern followed her, the glow from his ring illuminating the cavern beyond. It was narrow, but very high, with the ceiling impossible to see. Green light bounced off the wet rock, making the whole thing look far eerier than it already was. Suddenly the cave opened out and widened into what looked to be about the same size as the Batcave. Wonder Woman went cautiously, not sure what to expect. Her fingers traced the walls, drawing back sharply when she felt carved shapes.

"Lantern, over here!"

It was more writing in a narrow column stretching up into the dark – but this time in a language she recognised. Not understood, but recognised. "Egyptian hieroglyphs."

GL turned to Batman. "Don't suppose your translation skills go as far as hieroglyphs?"

"No." From his seemingly endless supply of gadgets he produced a tiny digital camera and began snapping images of the inscription.

"There's more over here!" Flash called.

Diana smiled as she joined him — the language was ancient Greek. She took a moment to scan through it quickly. "Still doesn't say who 'She' is, but it does give more information about where 'She' comes from." She cleared her throat. "'Born of unholy union between Earth and Sky, between the gods and the demons, She offers only madness. The weak shall perish, the strong will find their strength turned upon them. Beware her enmity, but beware more her gift.'" She paused. "Then it repeats. 'The weak shall perish, the strong will find their strength turned upon them.' That's all there is."

"Well what the heck does that mean?" Flash asked.

She shook her head. "No idea."

Green Lantern's voice echoed further in. "There's more over here. Looks like Hebrew."

"Ancient Hebrew," Batman corrected. "And Sanskrit. Over there looks like some kind of Norse language."

"Do you think they all say the same thing?" Diana asked, studying the runes.

"Probably. Whoever 'She' is, She was obviously a creature of fear for all the ancient world."

"Let's just hope She's not for the modern one," Lantern said.

"Before the Romans though," Flash said. "There's no Latin here."

They all turned to look at him with raised eyebrows.

"What?" he asked, looking annoyed. "I _did _graduate high school, you know. I know what Latin looks like."

"No sign of a tomb though," Diana noted.

"Not yet," Batman said, suppressing a sigh as she brushed past him without a word. He had no idea what he'd done this time. Women were the one mystery even the World's Greatest Detective couldn't work out.

They proceeded further into the darkness until the dim glow of daylight faded completely. There were other noises in the gloom now apart from the constant dripping of water. Up ahead Diana could hear the sound of rock on rock, and above there was the soft chittering of bats.

"Friends of yours?" GL asked.

Batman didn't bother passing comment. Unlike the others, he was scanning the floor and walls for booby traps. Booby traps like the pressure pad Wonder Woman was about to step on. "Diana!"

He ran and threw himself on her, knocking them both to the ground. Behind him, he heard the thunk and hollow whistling of several stone rods flying out of holes in the walls. Rods that would have been embedded in Diana's side had he not acted. He spent a fraction of a second pushing that most harrowing of pictures out of his head before getting agilely to his feet and offering her a hand up. She took it silently, and he gave her a quick assessing glance to make sure she wasn't injured. Even though his gaze wasn't visible, she still tracked it anyway, and her blue eyes were waiting for him when he got back to them. They held a question he couldn't begin to interpret — and apparently it wasn't one she was ready to divulge, since she turned away without speaking.

"Don't step there, there, or there," he warned GL and Flash.

They nodded, and Lantern enveloped them both in a green bubble then floated them across. He shrugged. "Better safe than sorry."

Nodding, Batman followed Diana through another narrow corridor of rock and into another cavern – smaller than the last, or perhaps it only seemed that way, since this one was illuminated by a soft golden light. It gave the previously creepy cave an atmosphere of warmth and benignity. It made Bruce suspicious. Caves were not supposed to be welcoming.

At the end of the cave, mounted on an obelisk, was a mysteriously glowing crystal, emitting the golden aura in soft pulses. It seemed to be humming softly too. "Don't touch it."

Diana scoffed slightly. "Yeah, like I'm going to be making _that_ mistake again." Nevertheless, she stepped toward the altar, careful not to touch it. "There are no more symbols, though."

"We should take it back to the Watchtower for analysis," Batman said. He stepped up beside her and took it with his gloved hands, then put it into an empty pouch. "Let's go. We're not going to find any-"

The whole cavern began shaking, the light gone now. Above, the previously quiescent bats burst into angry screeching at the sudden disturbance of their roost. Used to bats and their shifting moods, Bruce grabbed Diana and pulled her into a crouch while Lantern pulled the Flash into a spherical shield. While the air exploded with fangs and wings and needle-sharp squeaks, the ground was still quaking. Finally, all the rodents settled again, and gradually their footing became solid again. Or so it appeared, right before the ground underneath Batman's and Wonder Woman's feet vanished.

They must have fallen for at least thirty metres before Diana remembered she could fly. Bruce was already grabbing a grappling hook from his belt, but she'd grabbed him around the waist before he could fire, pulling him firmly against her body. His mind flicked back to the last time they'd been in each other's arms, and the time before that; both times when he'd let his guard down far lower than it should have been. Not something he'd be doing now — even if he could feel her _through _the Kevlar. He wrapped an arm around her waist in return, and their eyes locked and held for a moment.

_Damn it._

Flash's voice broke the semi-moment. "Hey, you guys okay?"

"We're fine," he called back.

Diana looked down at the apparently bottomless pit, then back up at Batman. "Got a flashlight?"

He got one out, and flicked it on, directing the blue-white beam downward. It illuminated the floor about another twenty metres down. He moved it along the floor until it came to…a pair of feet. Frowning, he moved it further — there was the prone figure of an old woman, lying curled up as if in pain on the freezing cold floor.

Diana gasped. "Hera!" Before Bruce could say anything, she'd dropped like a stone, slowing down only enough to land gently(ish), before running to the old woman's side. "She's still breathing!"

"Diana, I don't think you should-"

"Get over here!" she yelled at him.

He did — but only to grab her and yank her away. "She's a 'She', Princess."

"So?" she demanded. "Bruce, she's just an old woman!"

"You're still not going near her."

"Get off me!" With her strength, there was no way he could hold onto her, and he had to take two steps backward in order to stay on his feet while the Amazon ran back toward the old woman and lifted her up. She really was ancient, she thought, far beyond what the word 'old' covered. Lines deeply engraved into her face, hands wrinkled with paper thin skin and curled into claws by age.

As Diana touched her face, she stirred and woke. Diana began to lift into the air, but the old woman grabbed her hand. "Na!" She began babbling in a strange language that Diana vaguely recognised — guttural but strangely flowing.

"N gynifer blynedd i mewn 'r dywyllwch!" she wheezed. "Hannel i mewn r dywyllwch achos n gyhyd!"

"Can you hear me?" Diana asked. "Just hold on a minute, we'll-"

Suddenly, the old woman's mouth opened in a wizened, toothless smile. "Da blentyn…arddun bachgennes…" Her eyes opened fully, and Diana found herself utterly captivated by them. They were luminous, beautiful and golden. Glowing with magic. Dimly, she was aware of Bruce calling her name, and went to look at him…if only she could tear her gaze away.

"Chymer m ddonia…"

One frail hand came up to rest on Diana's forehead. Bruce threw himself at the two women, only for there to be a blinding flash of light that she did not blink at.

"I ewyllysia anrheithia chi."

With that last, whispered sentence, the old woman slumped in Diana's arms, her breath escaping her. Clearly dead. At the immediate instant that she realised it, the crone's body dissolved into wisps of smoke, leaving Diana alone. There was a sudden pain in her heart, and she grabbed her chest with a gasp of pain. Like the old woman before her, Diana collapsed into darkness.

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A/N: Review please!


	3. Homesickness

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews!**

**Chapter Three — Homesickness**

The first thing Diana heard was the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. Then she registered the slightly itchy feeling of an IV in her hand. Then the firm softness of a bed under her body. She cracked her eyes open and squinted against the bright lights of the medical bay. Once her sight had adjusted she tried to sit up. Immediately, there was a hand on the back of her neck. "Easy."

She smiled weakly at Batman. "I'm okay."

"Diana, you've been in a coma for three days. I wouldn't call that 'okay'," he said sternly. "Rest."

"If I've been in bed for three days I've rested enough," she told him, putting her legs over the side of the bed and smiling at J'onn, also in the room. She contented herself for the moment with drinking greedily from the cup of water he passed her. "Thanks. So what happened?" she asked Batman.

"You passed out," he said. "She was generating some kind of energy shield that I couldn't penetrate, but it fell when she disappeared. We brought you back to the Watchtower. You've been unconscious ever since."

"Everything was normal," J'onn continued. "Your brain waves were steady — an occasional dream spike, but no more — and you were breathing without assistance. To all intents and purposes, it appeared as though you were merely in a deep sleep."

"Any idea what caused it?"

"No. There was no sign of the old woman, aside from a slight electrical discharge, and there were no other obvious effects to your mental or physical state. You don't remember anything?"

"A chest pain just before I blacked out," she said. "But aside from that, nothing."

He nodded thoughtfully, frowning. A thought struck her and she raised an eyebrow. "You haven't been here watching over me for three days, have you?"

"No," he replied immediately, turning away to pull the IV gently out of her hand till he could sure that he wasn't going to give himself away, and mentally kicking himself. Of course he hadn't stayed with her for three days solid. Gotham still took precedence, and for the past two nights he'd patrolled as usual – even if his thoughts had been hundreds of miles above his head. He hadn't been home in three days, that much was true. Once patrol was done, he'd come back to the Watchtower to watch over Diana, even if he was sat pretending there was a good reason for it.

Diana nodded slowly, pushing down her disappointment. "The old woman died," she said. "She stopped breathing right before she disappeared."

"Dead bodies don't just disappear. If she wasn't in the cave then we have to assume she's not dead – and that whatever she did to you-"

"Batman, there's nothing wrong with me," she protested.

"You said you experienced a chest pain," he replied. "How often has that ever happened to you before?"

"Well…never, but-"

"Never."

"But that doesn't mean-"

"Princess. You don't ever get sick, you don't ever grow old, and you don't ever get chest pains," he said flatly. "However much you might want to see a harmless old lady as a harmless old lady, I don't. It would be worse than naïve to do so."

"So I'm naïve now?" she demanded.

"About some things, yes," he said. "Your compassion is a strength in most situations, Diana, it's," _One reason why I'm so attracted to you_, "also a liability if someone takes advantage of it. That's exactly what _she_ did – you see a defenceless woman in need of rescue and go without a second thought, without even considering the consequences."

"But there _were _no consequences," she protested. "There is _nothing _wrong with me."

"There _were _consequences. Princess, you spent three days in a coma, and we still don't know if there were any long term effects on you. For all you know, you could now be a danger to the entire League," he pressed. "Rushing off like that was thoughtless and irresponsible."

"Could you also consider the possibility that she was nothing more than she seemed? That perhaps-" She cut off with a frown, looking at J'onn. "What's so funny?"

Batman frowned and followed her gaze to the Martian – his expression was neutral, no trace of amusement or anything else on his face. J'onn smiled. "I was thinking that you sounded like – what is the expression? An old married couple?" He sobered, though, frowning. "Though I was laughing mentally, not aloud."

She blinked. "Oh."

"How did you know?" Batman asked her.

She shrugged. "I just…felt like you were laughing." Not waiting until they said anything, Diana hopped off the bed. "I have a caffeine need. I'm going to the cafeteria to get an iced mocha. Unless there's anything medically wrong with me?"

When nothing more was said, she smiled and left, shaking her head at the absurd worrying of the men around her. It was needless, really. Sweet in its way, but needless.

Bruce and J'onn were left alone, frowning worriedly at each other. "Do you think she's really alright?"

"I cannot sense anything wrong," the Martian answered, "and medically she is perfectly healthy. You obviously think differently."

"I think we don't know everything," Batman answered. "There was no sign of that woman, and no more information that I could gather from the writings in the cave. There's no record of there ever being a cave there in anything I've found. We can't know Wonder Woman's alright without knowing all the facts."

"You're worried."

Batman left with a glare.

* * *

When Diana walked into the cafeteria, she got no further than two steps before a scarlet blur stopped in front of her. "Wondy! You're okay!" Before she knew it, Flash had enveloped her in a hug. "You are okay, right? Right?"

She tried to grin, but couldn't. Despite his still slightly jocular attitude (without which he just wouldn't be Flash), Diana could _feel _the worry pouring off him. She hugged him back. "I'm fine, Wally. Honestly. I feel better than I ever have."

He let go and grimaced slightly because of his now-bruised ribs. "That's great!" Another blur, and then another, and Diana found herself being presented with a much-needed iced mocha that earned Flash another hug that bruised his ribs on the other side of his chest. "Come sit?"

"Sure," she said, following him to the nearest empty table.

She didn't get very far before she was again assaulted by another hug. Only this one came with red hair and feathers. "Diana!" Shayera pulled back and punched her on the shoulder. "What the hell happened to you? You just swan off to South America and get yourself knocked out, then you're in a coma for three days?! What is up with _that_?"

Diana blinked at her friend and was extremely surprised to see tears brimming in her eyes. "Shayera, are you…_crying_?"

"No! I'm just…leaking. It's the damn hormones," the Thanagarian complained.

"But you were worried about me," Wonder Woman replied assuredly, with a rush of guilt. Apparently it wasn't just the men who had been worrying needlessly – and like _knowing _J'onn was amused by she and Batman bickering – Diana knew that Shayera was concerned. "I'm sorry about that."

"I wasn't _worried_," she insisted, "I was just…"

"You were worried," Diana grinned, then laughed at the same time Wally did, causing them both to stop and stare at each other.

"How'd you know I was gonna…" he started.

She shook her head. "I don't know, I-" She cut off when Black Canary moved toward them. She strode through past them quickly – but then Dinah always walked with purpose, and nothing outwardly seemed wrong, but Diana felt her rage like a punch to the chest. It was palpable, and Diana wasn't aware of crumpling the cup in her hand until Dinah had walked past and cold liquid was spilling over her fingers.

"Whoa, you look hacked off," Flash remarked, looking at the crumpled remnants of the cup in her hands. "What did the cup do?"

"It's not me, I'm fine, it's Black Canary," she answered. "She's _really _angry."

The three of them looked over at the blonde. She was currently laughing about something Zatanna had said. "She doesn't look it," Shayera commented.

"Oh she is, I can-" Again, she cut herself off, realisation dawning. Or at least a horrible suspicion that Batman was right. Though she really shouldn't be surprised by that. The insufferable man was always right. "Hmm. I'll see you guys later. Have to check something…" Without another word, Diana got up and hurried from the cafeteria.

As soon as she was out in the hallway, she started to walk to the Arboretum. As she expected, she found Kal watching the Earthrise, his hands behind his back in very Superman-like pose and his expression pensive. "Hey, Diana. You feeling better?"

"Yes," she smiled. "Though Batman is not convinced."

"Is he ever?" he smiled wanly.

It faded quickly though, and Diana frowned in tandem, suddenly feeling a bone-deep weariness suffuse into her bones. All she wanted was to see her mother and sisters and to lie on the beaches of Themyscira in peace. Home. She wanted home. "You miss it," she said suddenly.

"What?" he asked.

"Krypton," she whispered without thinking, following his gaze to the blue curve of Earth. "It's beautiful, and you love it, and your family…but it will never truly be home."

When the silence stretched out, she glanced at her friend to see him staring at her, mouth slightly agape, his eyes searching her face. "Diana…" he finally forced out. "How can you know that?"

She smiled sadly. "It's on your face."

"But you just…what you just say, it was…_exactly _how I feel."

She took a step forward and pressed her forehead against the cool glass, her palms spread as if she'd reach out and cup Earth if she could. "What was it like?" she murmured. "Do you know? What if the way you imagine it is wrong?"

Superman folded his arms and frowned, focusing on a point on the metal floor. "To be honest…I know that it was a fantasy, but the Black Mercy _gave _me Krypton back. God, Diana…it was beautiful. It was…_everything _I ever wanted…" He trailed off, unable to continue and swallowing hard and blinking hard to force the tears back.

Diana couldn't. Hera, her heart was being ripped out – it was her exile all over again; the grief, the loss, the anger, the utter devastation of knowing the absolute and irrevocable nature of her mother's order. And it was so much worse for Kal…at least Themyscira was still alive, her sisters were all healthy and her mother would continue to rule over a prosperous society that had been for thousands of years, that always would be. Krypton was gone…oh goddesses it was gone forever…A sob escaped her as the tears came thick and fast, rolling one after another down her cheeks.

She pushed back from the window with a sharp gasp and wiped the tears roughly away. "Sorry. I-I don't know what that was."

"Are you alright?" he asked frowning. "Maybe you should go back to the medical bay…you don't look so well."

She shook her head. "I'm fine, Kal. I just…need to rest, I think," she said, ignoring the fact she'd done nothing but rest for the last three days. "I'll see you later."

She felt confusion fade a little as she left the Arboretum. She ran to the Medical Bay. J'onn was in there, just coming out, and she ran into him. He caught her by the arms. "Diana, is everything alright?"

She nodded, then shook her head immediately after as she felt intense concern – and judging from the look on his face, J'onn was as worried as she was. "Um, is Batman still here, J'onn?"

"No, he was called to Gotham," he answered. "Apparently-"

Flash's voice went off in her ear. "Diana, you free? Bats needs some help in Gotham. Something about the Royal Flush Gang. Zatanna's already on her way-"

"So am I," she said, running to the transporters.

* * *

**A/N: Review please!**


	4. A Little Premature

**A/N: I can't believe how many people like this! More drama this chapter, and more BMWW interaction too. Enjoy.**

**Chapter Four – A Little Premature**

It wasn't the most destruction she'd ever seen in Gotham. But it wasn't far off. She was beamed down a few feet away from where Robin was trying to avoid the things that Queen was throwing at him while getting close enough to stop her. When it was an SUV hurtling towards him, it was too big and coming too fast for Tim to duck; Diana leapt in front of him and punched it – it flew right back to Queen and knocked her off her feet. She turned to Tim frowning. "Are you alright?"

She already knew he was; his relief was palpable. He gave her a quick smile. "Thanks, Wonder Woman."

She liked Tim – he was a sweet boy, smart and dedicated with a ready smile. So was Dick, for that matter, and Barbara was a very friendly girl the few times they'd met. Privately, she'd always found it quite amusing that all of Bruce's protégés were such sociable people while the head of the Batclan did his utmost _not _to encourage people to like him.

The car she'd pinned Queen under began shaking, and then the whole thing lifted into the air. Diana caught it, tore it casually in half and then flew at the girl – she could not think of her as a woman – with all the speed and strength she could muster. Just before she hit, though, Diana felt a stab of something that she did not remember feeling for years…fear. Frowning and pushing it aside, she returned her attention back to Queen, seeing the blank white eyes widen with trepidation and alarm. Strangely, it did not make Diana feel better. Rather, it made her feel like turning and running away as fast as she could. It was too late to do so however, since she was already hitting Queen square in the chest. Diana's strength and momentum carried them back at least another thirty feet, and straight through the glass display windows. She landed heavily on the smaller woman, channelling the inexplicable fear into aggression and landing half a dozen punches across Queen's nose, breaking it and several bones in the rest of her face. Once Queen was out and no longer a danger, the fear evaporated. Still unsettled, Diana didn't stop.

When Ten barrelled into her, she had to. He caught her in a rugby tackle, knocking the wind out of her and putting her through several walls. There was no fear this time, only an almost frenzied anger from nowhere. She used it, slamming her elbow into the back of his neck, and then again and again until the huge bulk of Ten began to slow down. Not much, though, and with the aggression running high it was more difficult than it should have been to suppress the urge to break his thick neck. There was a sudden explosion of foul-smelling smoke which stopped him totally, forcing him to drop Diana and begin coughing harshly. Unfortunately Diana hit the floor surrounded by the fog. She immediately began choking as tendrils of fire invaded her lungs, sapping her strength almost as though it had been developed to target metas.

When Batman swooped down on a grappling hook, scooping her up out of the smoke, Diana amended that. It had been developed to target metas, obviously. His distrust of anyone with superpowers was well known. She wound her arms around his neck and coughed out the fog feeling slightly better. He trusted her. Hiding her smile, Diana enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms rather than the other way around. Landing flawlessly in an alcove of the cathedral, he put her gently down. He watched her until she'd stopped coughing, passing her some water. She took a long pull of it.

"Better?" he asked.

She nodded. "Thank you."

They both took a second to look down on the situation. Whatever chemicals Bruce had put in the smoke had evidently worked; Ten was out cold. Queen was also still unconscious, and Nightwing and Robin were together taking down King, Tim keeping him distracted while Dick found the pressure points to knock King out. Up here, Diana felt much calmer, more like herself than she had all day. "You trained them well."

He fired down to the ground where Zatanna was dodging Jack, firing random spells over her shoulder. "Let's go."

Diana followed, snatching Zatanna out of the way quickly and placing her down as Jack slammed his fist into the ground where she'd just been standing. Without missing a beat, Wonder Woman pushed back off again, catching Jack's other arm and twisting it around his back. Being so flexible, it didn't do anything – in fact the gang member only extended his neck around hers, then tightened, strangling her.

"Stonk ni eit!" Zatanna yelled.

With a strangled cry, Jack found all his limbs tying themselves in knots and trussing him up like a Christmas turkey. Unable to stand, he fell to the ground glaring in anger at Zatanna. Diana found herself also looking with narrowed eyes at the woman. Did she honestly think she was incapable of dealing with these things herself?

"Are you ok, Diana?" her friend asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

With an odd mix of concern and anger in her system, Diana frowned and put a hand on her forehead. "Headache," she replied, shaking her head quickly. Zatanna was her friend. Her ally. She was concerned for her safety.

"You get hit?" the witch asked.

She shook her head. "Don't think so," she replied. "Come. Let's throw these cretins in jail." She walked forward, looping her lasso around Jack and dragging him without consideration for his comfort over the rubble. She and Zatanna walked over to the three Batclan members, all standing with their arms folded looking down on the other three villains. Diana tied them all together, still frowning, her headache increasing as the anger built the closer they got. She pulled the lasso tighter than she meant to in her fury. Batman looked at her with one eyebrow raised as Jack yelped in pain. "We need them alive, Princess."

She glared back with narrowed eyes, but loosened the lasso anyway. Eventually the GCPD arrived to collect them – but one policeman raced up to the Dark Knight, panting. "Batman! The Joker's got Commissioner Gordon and the Mayor at City Hall – he's holding them hostage and is threatening to kill them unless-"

"I'm on the way," Batman replied brusquely, inwardly cursing himself. Of course this had been a diversion.

"Need help?" Diana interjected.

"No, go back to the Watchtower. We can handle this." Without further ado, Gotham's protector and his two sons raced off, leaving Wonder Woman and Zatanna staring at each other.

Zatanna put a hand to her ear. "Zatanna to Watchtower. Wonder Woman and I are ready to be beamed back up."

Gotham disappeared as the Watchtower took its place. Diana's headache hadn't eased, and she managed a weak smile at Zatanna before stumbling away. Zatanna sighed, watching her walk away and wondering how Wonder Woman managed to make _stumbling _look graceful.

---

Thinking it was possibly the lack of caffeine giving her a headache, Diana made her way to the cafeteria. The doors opened – and immediately her headache got ten times worse. It was about 1830 GMT, so the cafeteria was packed, full of noisy, chattering heroes. Some were smiling, others frowning, and about a million conversations hit Diana at once. With no warning, Diana felt happy and sad and angry and in love and like laughing and as though she could cry but mostly she felt utterly confused about where in Hades all these feelings were coming from. It felt as though two needles were being driven into her temples. She turned and ran back to her room, leaning against the door once it had closed with her eyes closed, breathing hard. Batman was right – she really _wasn't _alright. But what in Hera's name was wrong with her?

Steeling herself, she left her room and made her way to the infirmary. With every step she took, her headache got further and further toward a migraine as she passed more members of the League. She ended up sprinting through the Watchtower until she got there, then hurtled through the doors with all the haste she could. Thankfully, J'onn was in there, and he looked up with a frown.

"Diana. What is it?"

She clenched her jaw and tried not to let the pain of his concern show on her face. "I think…something's wrong with me."

He got up, and she fought not to back up. "What?"

She shook her head. "I have no idea. And if the machines didn't pick up anything abnormal, can you…look in my mind? See if there's anything?"

He nodded and gestured for her to sit down. She did, but did not manage to suppress a flinch as he put his hands on either side of her face. His eyes glowed orange slightly, and she reflexively shut hers too. The next thing she knew, she was inside her mind.

_She found herself standing on the steps of the temple of Athena, the buildings of Themyscira around them. When J'onn materialised next to her, she twisted her mouth. He frowned at her. "Is everything alright?" _

_She nodded. "Yes. I'm just…still unused to seeing male…anyones on the island." _

"_Understandable. If there is anything you would prefer me not to see, simply imagine a door and close it. Now, what is the problem?"_

_Diana hesitated slightly. "I…am in pain," she said. "Around people, I-" She stopped as worry welled up inside her. Along with all the other emotions she was still feeling, Diana reeled. Here, though, in what was basically Themyscira, it was easier to fall back into her warrior training. She calmed her breathing, accepted the pain, almost thanked it for letting her know something was wrong. With the acknowledgment it was easier to push aside – not gone, but ignored for the time being. She looked at J'onn. "Is it possible that I may have _become _a telepath?"_

_He frowned and looked around. "I do not think so. This – though it is quite fascinating it its way – is not the mind of a telepath. There are…more paths, in the mind if that is the case. For example, you can see everything here. You know where every trail leads. But in the mind of a telepath, there are mists and mysteries everywhere. You may follow them, and they will take you to other minds. There are always infinite possibilities as a telepath. Your mind is finite, as the minds of all humans are." _

"_Then…what is happening to me, J'onn?" _

"_I am afraid I cannot tell you, Diana. Describe this pain to me. What causes it?"_

"_Being around lots of people. In fact…being around anyone…" _

_That wasn't quite true, though. Before she was aware of making the connection, she and Bruce were standing on Gotham cathedral. It was odd, watching herself have a conversation. In the memory, though, it was not Batman, and nor was it Bruce Wayne, but a strange combination of the two. Strange to J'onn, she supposed, but not to her. It was the way she always saw him – the cowl was firmly in place, but translucent, the features of Bruce showing through clearly. She blushed slightly, then blushed more when those paths J'onn had been talking about appeared. Though it was quite clear where they led. _

_More than a dozen doors appeared, and then locked themselves, isolating the memory. _

"_Why are you showing me this?" J'onn asked._

"_Because I felt fine when we were up there. During the fighting, I was…irrationally angry, and…_afraid _even, but once Br- Batman and I were clear of people, I felt better."_

"_I see. It is possible-"_

With a sharp breath, Diana opened her eyes to the bright lights of the Medical Bay. J'onn grimaced apologetically as he took his hands away. An alert had sounded, but it stopped almost immediately. Diana recognised it as the weekly fire drill.

"I apologise," the Martian said. "The alert broke my concentration."

She shook her head. "It's fine, J'onn. I'm only-"

The doors hissed open, and an arguing Flash and Green Lantern entered. "Well if you'd looked where you were going-"

"I _was_ looking, can I help it if I move too fast for you-"

"Too fast? Let's see how fast you can move with my boot up your-"

J'onn cleared his throat, and they both looked toward the two people in the infirmary. "Uh, sorry," Flash said. "But we kinda need your help, J'onn-"

"I was just leaving," Diana said quickly, hopping off the seat, unable to bear the embarrassment anymore. She didn't even know _why _she was embarrassed.

"But, Diana-"

"I'll see you later, J'onn," she called, waving to the others. She hurried to her room making an attempt to avoid as many people as possible. Once inside, though, she put a hand to her ear and cleared her throat, trying to make her voice as steady as possible. "Wonder Woman to Batman."

There was a slight pause before he answered. "Go ahead."

"Are you in the Cave?"

"Yes. Joker's back where he belongs."

"May I come down? I need your help with something."

Another pause, and she could picture his frown. "Then transport down."

"I'm on my way. Wonder Woman out." Once the connection was terminated, she let out a long sigh of relief, then changed quickly, suddenly feeling cold. She left her room and headed for the teleports. Precisely forty three seconds later she was materialising in the Batcave.

Bruce was sitting in his usual winged chair, fingers dancing lightly across the keyboard. To his left, the glowing crystal they found in the cave three days earlier was sitting on a raised platform, wires snaking out from it and feeding a dozen different readings to the computer. "What can I do for you, Princess?"

She moved forward as he turned to regard her with unreadable eyes. His mouth softened very slightly though, and she knew he'd recognised the fact that something was wrong with her. Relief surged through Diana. There was no pain, no unexpected rush of emotion here – just the man she trusted absolutely to help fix whatever was wrong with her. "I…may have been a little premature when I said there was nothing wrong with me," she confessed.

An eyebrow was raised in question.

"I'm…feeling emotions."

"Is that unusual?"

"No, but there's _too much_ emotion. I know I'm more ruled by my passions than a lot of people in the League, but this is far beyond that. This-" She sighed and ran a hand distractedly through her hair and moved forward again, leaning against the monitor back and fixing her eyes on his. "This _hurts_, Bruce."

"What do you think it is?" he asked.

"I thought it may have been some kind of telepathic skill developing."

"Have you been to J'onn?"

"Yes, but he told me that wasn't a possibility. And it isn't _thought_, it's emotion that is being affected. J'onn had no idea what was wrong with me. And he didn't see anything in my mind." She gave a laugh that sounded _nervous_, and then hung her head, not meeting his eyes. "I was _afraid_," she whispered, ashamed. "Bruce, I…Fighting Queen, I was scared."

"That doesn't sound like you," he commented.

"It doesn't feel like me either," she muttered.

He leaned forward and put a hand on the mouse right next to her hand, not quite touching her. His eyes left hers, and darted up to the screen. He didn't speak for another moment, his voice perfectly steady when he did. "We'll find something, Princess."

_I promise. _

---

**A/N: I'm glad people seem to know where I'm going with this as far as Diana's concerned. Review please if you liked this chapter, or if I'm not floatin' your boat anymore! **


	5. It's All Greek To Me

**A/N: Someone asked for more BMWW – so here's a chapter that's mostly BMWW! Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five – It's All Greek To Me**

Diana stayed in the Cave for as long as she politely could, not wanting to leave it and get another headache as soon as she did. Besides, she and Bruce had fallen into their normal pattern of friendly, comfortable banter and discussion. She knew he only let her stay because she was feeling rather vulnerable at the moment, but it was times like this when she found herself questioning why it couldn't be this way all the time. They were _good _together. He knew everything about her, and she knew- Well, it would be a lie if she said she knew everything about him, but unfortunately she knew enough to understand that he'd never accept that it could be this easy. In a way she couldn't really blame him – if nothing else he'd been taught that nothing in life was easy. Particularly love.

_Not that I'm in love with him,_ she thought firmly. _Attracted to, yes, but not _in love. That would be rather too difficult to deal with, especially with…whatever was happening to her now. To distract herself from that topic, she cleared her throat and pointed at the gem. "What are you scanning for?"

"The strength of its magnetic and gravitational fields, monitoring temperature and weight as well as kinetic energy."

"Kinetic energy?"

"It's vibrating slightly," he answered. "And the gravitational field is larger than it should be."

"You're not testing for magic?" she enquired.

He shot her a sceptical look. "I'll leave mysticism to Zatanna," he said flatly.

"But, Bruce, it's clearly magical in origin. Don't you think that-"

"It is not 'clearly magical'," he said. "It's origins are unknown – possibly extraterrestrial, possibly from a culture far more advanced than ours. _Not _magical."

"No? Glowing gem, mysteriously appearing cave, old woman who put a curse on me-" She smiled a little. "Sounds magical to me."

"Diana, you're used to magic being an established part of your culture. You were…" He frowned as if just accepting the idea was difficult, "_created_ by magic." He turned back to scan through the police bands on the radio while glancing at the clock. 19:07. Alfred would be serving dinner soon. He really should invite her to stay for it. "Magic is not an accepted part of my life, Princess. It is simply something I have yet to understand."

She smiled in a slightly indulgent manner. "Are you planning on understanding everything?"

He rose to the bait and smirked. "Eventually."

"Knowledge is power."

"My philosophy exactly."

"But then ultimate knowledge – that would make you a god," she noted.

"I can think of worse fates," he said, unable to resist a grin.

"But you hate my gods," she reminded him, grateful that he was flirting back enough for her to let the last of her fear fade. She doubted it was accidental; Bruce never did or said anything without thinking of all possible consequences first. Still, as long as he wanted to play, Diana was more than happy to play along with him.

"Only because they seem to be utterly without compassion."

"I don't think Hera would like being compared to Ares," Diana said, a touch more sternly. "Even if he is her son."

"You mentioned nothing about goddesses," he replied. "And the _gods _are well known for their lack of morals."

"Touché," she smiled, somehow closer to him than she'd meant to be. "So kind of god would you be, I wonder? The god of working too hard? Of thinking too much?"

"More along the lines of protection. Vengeance. The night. Something cosy like that."

"Much as that would suit you, I doubt Nix would like it," she replied. "She's quite possessive of her domain you know."

"Something else then," he murmured, now not even trying to look as though he was working and simply taking in Diana. She really was _extraordinarily _beautiful, especially when backlit from the glow of the screen bank. The white light illuminated the almost blue highlights in her hair, silhouetted her figure and somehow made her look- Bruce mentally shook himself, though a tiny part of him lamented the fact that it just wasn't fair. How was any red-blooded man supposed to function around her? Thank God the Bat could be cold-blooded when he needed to be.

She grinned down on him, suddenly all her goddesses all at once. "Well, Eros already has-"

There was the soft clearing of a throat, and both their faces – now only a few inches apart – flicked to look up at the stairs. Alfred was standing there, face totally unreadable as always, his posture rigid. "Good evening, Your Highness."

Diana smiled and tried not to blush. "Hello, Alfred."

The Englishman looked at his employer. "Dinner is about to be served, sir."

Bruce smoothly moved away from Diana. "Thank you, Alfred; I'll be up in a minute."

His surrogate father did not move, only regarded him with a perfectly neutral expression. It changed to one of very slight annoyance when Bruce did not speak again. "Are you staying for dinner, Miss Diana?"

"I wouldn't want to intrude-" she began.

"Stay," Bruce said quietly.

She lifted and eyebrow and tilted her head in a way that let some hair fall over one shoulder in a ridiculously seductive way. More seductive because he knew it to be utterly uncontrived. He swallowed as surreptitiously as possible. "Stay?" he repeated, more a question this time.

She nodded. "I'd love to. As long as it's alright with you of course, Alfred?"

"Of course, Miss. Quite incidentally I happen to have made extra pasta tonight."

"Incidentally," Bruce stated flatly.

"Utterly by mistake," the older man said breezily. "For some reason I had the impression Master Dick was coming for dinner. The meal will be ready in approximately five minutes."

"Thank you," Bruce ground out.

Recognising the tone, Diana thought it best to get out of the situation, and moved toward Alfred, looping her arms through his. "Would you like some help serving up, Alfred?" she asked cheerily.

He smiled slightly. "That would be most welcome, Miss."

For some reason that Bruce could not fathom, Diana was the only person he'd ever seen Alfred accept help from. She claimed it was in payment for Alfred teaching her how to cook, but they'd become friends during her stay at the manor, and Bruce could see how delighted the Englishman was to have her back in the house. Tim would probably have the same reaction. Hell, he was finding it difficult not to be almost… _Ok, I am not about to use the word 'giddy'_, he thought sourly. But even he had to admit that the manor had a more comfortable atmosphere when she was around. She wasn't a part of the family, but she had the potential to-

Letting out a growl, Bruce hit the power down button with more force than he meant to. She _was not _part of the family, and she never _would be_ part of the family. The manor ran efficiently and extremely well as far as he could see – without the influence of a woman. It did not matter that Alfred and Tim liked having Diana around. It certainly did not matter – in fact it was dangerous – that _he _liked having her around. There were too many ways it could go wrong, too many opportunities for them to be alone and _far _too many tempting dark corners he could sweep her into in order to kiss her senseless. The growl was joined by a groan. He really didn't need to spend the entire evening imagining doing that.

Before going up the stairs, Bruce took a second to let some of the Bat come forward, feeling better when the cold steel of self-control settled over his senses. Calm now, he began to climb up to the manor, objectively coming to one conclusion.

Inviting her to stay for dinner had been a mistake.

---

Diana tried to prevent her discomfort from showing on her face. Staying for dinner had been a mistake. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy spending time with Alfred, of course she did, but this was not all that pleasant – the prospect of spending hours watching Bruce pretend he hadn't been flirting for real.

As she and Bruce's surrogate father had entered the kitchen, Alfred smiled at her. "Now, how are you, my dear?"

"Well, thank you, Alfred." She sniffed the air, almost melting at the delicious smell. "What are you making? It smells wonderful."

"Linguine al salmone," he answered. "Your favourite, as I seem to recall."

She blinked. "Alfred, I think you might be my favourite man in the world!" she grinned, feeling contentment rise up in her. She surprised herself slightly by giggling. "How on earth did you know I'd be coming tonight?"

He sobered, but she could tell on the inside he was chuckling. "I had no idea, Miss. A happy accident, as I said. Now, if you wouldn't mind – could you chop some of that parsley over there for me? About two handfuls should do."

She smiled and did as directed, chopping with far less speed than she was sure Alfred could have managed, but glad to be of help anyway. Suddenly Tim's voice sounded just outside the door. "Hey, Alfred, what time's dinner?" he asked, coming into the room. "Because…Wonder Woman's in the kitchen…" he finished, staring wide-eyed at her.

"Hello, Tim," Diana smiled. "How are you?"

He blinked. "Umm…I'm fine," he said, in a voice still considerably higher than normal. "You?" he squeaked.

Inexplicably, she felt nervous now, as stupidly surprised as Tim looked. It was ridiculous. Tim _lived _here, why on earth should she be surprised to find him in his own home? "I'm fine as well." She cleared her throat, her sprits sinking. Whatever it was was apparently happening again. "How was school?"

"Boring," he answered immediately. "Not that I didn't pay attention," he added hastily in response to Alfred's stern look. "But c'mon, how interesting is it possible for ancient-" He stopped again, blushing a brilliant shade of scarlet.

Diana realised what he was about to say, and felt embarrassed for him, also colouring. Tim, however, seemed to be considering something, then perked up. "Hey, Wonder Woman?"

"Diana, please," she requested. "We had this conversation the last time I was here."

"Ok…um…Diana, you're Greek, right?"

She considered going into the ancient politics that had led the Amazons not, in fact, to be technically Greek, but decided against it, and shrugged. "Close enough."

"Well I have a project due in on the fall of Troy, and to be honest…well, it's all Greek to me," he said with a smile that could have come straight from Bruce's face. They may not be related by blood, but Tim had definitely been learning from the playboy.

"I do hope, Master Tim, that if you're going to quote the Bard you at least know which play that comes from," Alfred put in.

The grin went, replaced by a sheepish look. "Um…_A Midsummer Night's Dream_?" he asked hopefully.

Diana shook her head. "_Julius Caesar_. I'm right, aren't I?" she questioned Alfred.

He smiled. "Indeed you are, Miss."

"When have you been reading Shakespeare?" Bruce's voice asked from the doorway.

Tim and Diana both jumped. "Geez, Bruce! Do you have to do that when you're _not _in the suit?"

He nodded seriously at his son. "Never let your guard down."

Alfred handed Diana a loaf of warm ciabatta. "Would you put this on the table for me, Miss?"

She nodded. "Of course," taking the breadboard and carrying it through to the enormous dining room.

Bruce opened the refrigerator and took about a chilled bottle of chardonnay. Picking up two glasses, he followed Diana and repeated his earlier question. She set the bread down before answering with a shrug. "When I first arrived in Man's World I was curious to see if there was any real culture to speak of. Shakespeare seemed like a good place to start."

"And were you impressed?" he asked, sitting down.

She sat as well. "I suppose. It's better than Homer, at any rate."

Tim sat opposite her. "What's wrong with Homer?"

Diana's mouth tightened. "It's utter rubbish! The amount that he downplays the part the Amazons played is ridiculous! We were responsible for-"

"Much as I'd _love _to hear this tirade all over again," Bruce put in, "we haven't got ten years' free time."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Just because the _Iliad _is one of Man's World's most revered texts does not mean that it is perfect, _or _at all accurate. You should just be glad my mother isn't here." Alfred came in with dinner, and they thanked him, Diana tucking in immediately, almost moaning with delight at the sublime taste that exploded in her mouth.

"This is exactly what I need!" Tim said excitedly. "Diana, could you maybe help me on my project? There's no way what you know is anywhere else-"

Diana and Bruce spoke at the same time.

"Sorry, Tim, I can't-"

"Not a good idea."

His face fell. "Why not?"

"Because you said it yourself," she said gently. "What I know you couldn't find anywhere else."

"But that would get me an A for sure!"

Bruce put his knife and fork down with a somewhat impatient sigh. "And how does Timothy Drake, a perfectly ordinary kid, know Wonder Woman?"

"Well-" His face fell. "Oh. Good point."

Diana took a sip of chilled white wine. "I really am sorry, Tim."

He tried to shrug it off. "Nah, it's ok. I'll just have to do research to get an A."

She smiled. "Ok then."

Alfred came into the room briefly. "A telephone call for you, Master Wayne."

Bruce got up. "Excuse me a minute."

Once he was gone, Diana realised how disappointed Tim really was. "Hey," she said, her own mouth pulling down at the corners. "If you like I could always tell you some things about Themyscirian history anyway – you don't have to use it, but it might be interesting."

He nodded and brightened. "Sounds great!"

"Well, where would you like me to start?"

Tim considered. "Well…I'm guessing the whole Heracles thing isn't a good place…"

"No," she said firmly, anger welling up. More than three thousand years and that was a wound still raw for all Amazons. "Really not." He coloured, and she got embarrassed too. It wasn't Tim's fault – he certainly wasn't to know about what had happened, and it wasn't fair of her to snap at him.

"Then…how about we go back to the fall of Troy?" he suggested.

She smiled and began. By the time Bruce re-entered the room, both Diana and Tim were in fits of laughter, mouths full of spaghetti and shoulders quaking. "What did I miss?" he asked, one eyebrow quirked.

"Oh, just something Antiope told me when I was growing up," Diana wheezed. "Apparently the best way to kill a Myrmidon is to seduce him first."

"How?" Tim asked.

"Sounds like an R rated conversation not suitable for ears under eighteen," Bruce said in a quelling fashion. Tim pouted and slouched in his seat, picking at his food. "And sit up."

He sat up. Continued to pick. Eventually Diana asked regenerated the conversation by asking him what exactly his history project entailed. Somehow that led eventually to him shyly discussing the girl he liked at school, and why he was afraid to ask her out – mostly because he was terrified she'd say no, but also because of the "whole secret identity thing. I mean it's tricky. I can't do the playboy thing yet," he added with a sly look at Bruce.

Though there had been no accusation in his tone, Bruce's jaw tightened ever so slightly, and only momentarily. It was enough for Diana to catch, and without thinking she sought his hand under the table, gave it a quick squeeze and then let go. His face flicked to hers for a fraction of a second, and for Diana time stopped. It had to have been the millionth time she'd felt the connection between them, but _this_ time…she knew he felt it too. And a fraction of a second was enough for her to register all the different thoughts flickering across his face. Naked desire, then realisation he'd given himself away, then the resignation that it couldn't happen, then the determination that it wouldn't. She estimated that it took less than a quarter of a second, but she picked it up anyway.

Dinner was over by this time, and to escape Bruce and another circular conversation, Diana insisted on helping Alfred wash up – immediately feeling better once in the old man's friendly company, less…tense, since his cheerfulness was infectious. Once that was done, Diana knew she should leave – much as she'd missed being welcomed at the manor, being in a relaxing home environment, she knew staying any longer would try Bruce's patience, and they'd had a good evening, for them at least. As close to a date as they were ever going to get, and she wanted to end it on a positive note. She embraced Alfred (promising to come back soon), and then a very red faced Tim, before heading down to the Cave.

"I'll escort you," Bruce said.

She waited until they were alone before broaching the subject. "He didn't mean anything by it, Bruce."

"I know," he replied.

"He doesn't blame you."

"I know."

"So you shouldn't blame yourself either."

"I know."

She gave a wry smile. "So you know, but you're not going to let that stop you?"

"Pretty much."

"Bruce…"

He turned away, and she recognised that the discussion was over. After a few more stairs, she spoke again. "Thank you, by the way. I feel a lot better than when I came down here."

He nodded in silent acknowledgement. She put a hand to her ear. "Wonder Woman to Watchtower."

"Go ahead, Diana," Shayera's voice said back.

"Requesting a teleport back up."

"Locating your communicator now…" Her voice went up at the end in surprise when she found Diana's location. "Well…teleport initiating in twenty seconds. And I want _everything_ when you get back, Princess."

"Thanks, Shayera." She put her arm down and turned around to see Bruce rebooting the computer, already flicking through the police bands on his radio. "Bruce, what-"

"So how exactly did Antiope seduce Myrmidons?" he asked, changing the subject with a flash of _the _grin. "They were the most highly trained soldiers in the Greek army," he said. "Unbeatable, even for Amazons."

"You have been reading far too much Homer," Diana shot back. "And besides, no one can resist an Amazon intent on seduction forever." With that, and strangely fearless, she kissed his cheek softly, then disappeared in a flash of light.

---

**A/N: Yay, I did it! Almost a whole chapter entirely with BMWW! Next chapter will be back to the storyline, I promise. Let me know how you liked this one!**


	6. A Slow Night

**A/N: Back to the story – and thank you SO much to everyone who reviewed. I honestly can't tell you how happy it makes me. I haven't stopped smiling in days, it's creeping my family out! **

**Anyway, Happy New Year – I hope 2009 is a wonderful year for you!**

**Chapter Six – A Slow Night**

She'd been onboard the Watchtower for no more than ten minutes before someone drove a railroad spike through Diana's skull. At least, it felt that way.

As she'd expected, and been dreading, Shayera was waiting with an enormous smile on her face. The pain wasn't unexpected, and she could tell from the look on Hawkgirl's face that she was in for some serious interrogation and laughter at her expense. What she did not expect was to begin laughing herself, as Shayera so obviously wanted to. The grin faded from the redhead's face. "Ok…I know why _I'm _laughing, why are you?"

Diana shook her head, feeling slightly hysterical. "I don't know!" she exclaimed, tears beading in her eyes. "Oh Hera I have no idea!"

She carried on laughing, and Shayera got worried. "Diana? Are you alright?"

"I _was_," she answered. "When I was with Bruce I was absolutely fine, but now-"

Suddenly Shayera's amusement was back. "Oh, it's _Bruce_ tonight is it? And how long have you been with _Bruce_?"

Diana grimaced, feeling embarrassment, an intense curiosity and the urge to giggle mesh, as well as being utterly confused about where all this was coming from. "It's not what you think, I-" She cut herself off, really not knowing what to say. "I went to him because I needed help, I…"

Her friend suddenly sobered. "Help?" she repeated, coming forward to put a hand around Diana's shoulder. "With what? Are you alright?"

Really not needing to headache that Shayera's concern brought, Diana shrugged off her arm and took a stop away. "No, I am not. I'm not sure what happened, but for some reason around anybody I am in pain – apart from Batman, for some reason."

"Have you been to see J'onn?"

She nodded. "Yes, but he confirmed that medically there is nothing wrong with me and that I wasn't a telepath – that's what I thought it could be."

"Are you picking up thoughts?" Hawkgirl asked.

"No, it's more…it's less…refined than that." She turned back to Shayera, her expression perfectly miserable. "I don't know what it is, but I… It's getting worse," she finished in a whisper. "I…I need to sleep," she said, sounding more decisive than she felt. "I'll get some sleep, and everything will look better in the morning."

"Well Greenwich Mean Time it is morning," Shayera pointed out.

"Well Eastern Standard Time it's not," Diana said, worried and not liking it. "It's been a long day," she sighed finally, knowing how anxious her friend was and feeling guilty about it. "I just need to rest."

"Maybe you should sleep in the infirmary tonight," Shayera suggested, following her as Diana stepped into the hallway. "If you're not-"

Diana gasped as she entered the hallway, which was full of people. Railroad spike time. There were at least fifteen people she could see, and fifteen different emotions hitting the Amazon. Half a dozen heroes, led by Flash, all looked sad and tired and guilty – oh Hera did they feel guilty. "W-where are they coming from?" she whispered.

"Bolivia," Shayera answered. "There was a rockslide onto a village."

Flash heard and came over, his face glum. Unknowingly increasing the pain Diana was in, he spoke, his expression totally without his usual smile. "A dozen people were killed before we got there," he told them. "Before _I _got there."

"Wally, it's not your fault," Shayera told him. "You did everything you could."

The guilt Wonder Woman felt only got worse, and when Shayera reached out and squeezed Flash's shoulder comfortingly, Diana simultaneously felt the urge to run away and comfort her friend. The pain in her head was so intense, she couldn't begin to think straight, and her only clear impulse was to head to the infirmary, swallow as much pain-relief as possible, and curl up in a corner somewhere.

Flash shook his head, his tone angry at himself. "I wasn't fast enough," he said. Opening his mouth to issue another self-deprecating sentence, Diana beat him to it.

"You should have tried harder," she said, her voice far harsher than she meant it to be. In fact, she hadn't even meant to say that at all. She blinked, then felt guilty for saying it. Flash looked at her, hurt showing clearly on his features even through the mask, and Diana felt tears well up in her own eyes at the emotional injury she'd inflicted. "Flash, I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that, I-"

She cut herself off as GL came toward Shayera, grief and guilt on his face. The redhead took him into her arms, both of them closing their eyes in a rare moment of peace. It was obvious the solace that their love for each other brought to them, and within ten seconds the lines had smoothed out from John's face. As they softly kissed, the smile came back into Diana's heart. She felt warm and safe and…in love. Ignoring her friends, and fighting back tears of utter frustration, she turned and sprinted to the infirmary.

When the doors opened, her determination to enter wavered, and it was an act of sheer will to _make _her feet walk inside. Anyone watching closely would not have said it was Wonder Woman at all – just a very small and very frightened little girl in clothes and under a reputation too big for her. J'onn was too busy to spare her more than a glance, since he was stitching a wound on Booster Gold's forearm closed, as well as directing Zaatnna to get more supplies from the drug store. Diana found the corner furthest from everyone else and sat down, putting her hands to her head in a vain effort to block out the pain. She didn't even notice as one by one, the newly repaired heroes filtered out of the Medical Bay. As J'onn came forward in concern, however, the pain intensified like fire behind her eyes, and she looked up unable to stop the tears.

"What is wrong, Diana?" he asked quickly.

She shook her head. "J'onn, I have no idea, I…It's worse – it's so much worse, I…"

J'onn frowned – he knew from her thoughts how much pain she was in, though he did not feel it himself, but couldn't understand what was causing it. "Diana, may I enter your mind again?"

She nodded. "If it'll make whatever it is go away, do whatever you have to do."

---

It had been a fairly slow night – only three attempted rapes, five muggings, one armed robbery and a couple of drug busts – and now at three am, Batman was on his way back to the Batmobile, and home. He'd just shut the door and started the engine when his League communicator went off, and J'onn's voice came over the connection. Knowing that if he was onboard the Watchtower then the Martian was in the infirmary, Batman cut short his greeting. "What's wrong?"

"Have you had any success in analysing the gem found in the Brazilian cave?"

He cut to the chase. "Is she alright?"

There was a pause. "No. She is not."

Batman put his foot down. "I'll be in the Cave in three minutes. Transport me up from there. Batman out."

Normally he wasn't one to heed the rules of the road, but neither did he normally open up the throttle to full. At top speed the Batmobile was capable of almost two hundred mph, which he'd found useful only once or twice – on a straight road it was good, but around corners it was a speed impossible to maintain. Bruce maintained an average speed of 187 mph on the way back to the Cave, and then leapt from the car as soon as the engine was off. The next forty eight seconds were interminable, and he spent them cursing himself. Damn it, he _knew _something wasn't right, he _knew _she came to him for help, so _why _had he just let her go without running every possible test on her? Forget regretting inviting her to stay for dinner, why the hell hadn't he insisted on her staying in the manor until she was safe?

By his calculation, it had been far longer than three minutes, and he still hadn't been teleported up yet. "Batman to Watchtower."

"Watchtower here," a male voice answered. He placed it as Hawk. "Just about to transport you up."

"Then hurry up about it," he snarled.

He was gone from the Cave within half a second, and didn't waste time glaring when he got there. Finally.

Hawk may or may not have said something before the Dark Knight disappeared around the corner. Anyone who'd ever stated with derision that Batman couldn't fly would have been eating their words. On average, it took Flash 0.5 of a second to run around the Watchtower. It took Bruce roughly 5 seconds to get to the infirmary. Outside the doors, he stopped, took one deep breath, calming himself slightly. Or at least regained the image of calm. His heart was still pounding – but as long as Clark wasn't in the room, no one would be able to tell. He passed a hand over the motion sensor, opening the door and stepping inside.

It was empty apart from J'onn and Diana, facing away from him. Her shoulders were hunched, her head down. His hands curled into loose fists at seeing how…_wounded_ she looked.

J'onn came over immediately, his voice hushed. "Thank you for coming, Batman," he said solemnly.

"How is she?" he demanded in a low tone.

"I have enabled a meditative state for the moment," the Martian said. "But it will not last for long. She is in increasing pain."

"What's causing it?"

"There is no evidence as to the cause, but considering recent events it seems likely it is something to do with the events in the cave. I have a theory, however, that I think I should discuss with her."

Batman nodded, then frowned. "Why did you call me?" If he'd had word Diana was in trouble he'd have come to the Watchtower as fast as he could anyway, but there seemed little he could do.

J'onn evidently did not need to be a mind-reader in order to see the thoughts passing across his friend's masked face, but elaborated. "From what Diana told me, she did not feel the effects of whatever it was around you." He didn't ask for permission to delve into Batman's mind to find the reason – it would certainly be refused, and there was no way he would be able to do so without permission. "Again, I have my theories, but perhaps we should include Diana in the discussion.

Batman walked down the infirmary toward Diana. J'onn hung back, ostensibly to get some water for Diana. Whatever his true motives, Bruce was inwardly grateful. Standing in front of Wonder Woman, he observed her for a second. Her eyes were closed, and she was frowning. Her breathing was shallow, and she did look as though she were in pain. "Diana," he said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder.

She took a deep breath and straightened, opening her eyes. The tenseness in her expression smoothed out too, melding into one of pure relief. "You came," she whispered.

He nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Better," she answered. "But it's getting worse."

"What about now?"

She shook her head. "No. But it doesn't when you're around."

J'onn joined them, handing Diana some water. "I believe I may know why, and what it happening to you, Diana."

"What?" they both asked.

J'onn took a deep breath, and began explaining. "You said that you could not hear thoughts, only feel emotions."

"Yes, but the emotions of others," she said.

"I believe that you have somehow become an empath."

"Empath?" Batman questioned. "Related to telepathy?"

"Yes, but far less sophisticated than that – and far harder to control. In the most basic sense, telepathy evolved from empathy. Emotions are less complicated and more primal than thoughts, and so can more easily be transmitted; normally completely unconsciously. It is unusual to find a sentient being able to guard his or her emotions – but it is, I believe, an ability that you have, Batman."

"Which would explain why I can't feel anything from you," Diana said wonderingly. "But, J'onn, it's more than that." She turned to Bruce. "Tonight, when you were with Tim and I, I did not feel his emotion – but when you left to answer the telephone, I felt his disappointment. Around you, I don't feel anything from anyone else. I'm not in pain." She smiled wanly at him. "I guess you're my own personal shield."

Not replying, Bruce looked at J'onn. "Do you have an explanation for that?"

"Hmm. I'm afraid not," he answered. "But my main concern is that it seems to be getting stronger. You said you were in more pain this evening than you have been before?"

She nodded. "The happy emotions aren't so bad," she said. "When I saw John and Shayera together it felt wonderful, but with Flash's guilt…" Diana looked down, ashamed of herself. "He blamed himself for being unable to save everyone on a mission today. He was angry and I _felt it_. I snapped at him – told him that he should have done better, been faster…" She bit her lip. "I need to find him and apologise." She tried to get up, but Batman's hands settled on her shoulders, pushing her back down.

"Not yet," he commanded.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he'd already turned to J'onn. "What could happen if it continues increasing?"

"I am afraid that there is no way to tell." He looked at Diana. "Before Batman arrived, could you feel anything?"

She nodded gravely. "Yes – but not as acutely as when I am around others. More like…a dull ache of over-fatigue than the migraine it was earlier."

"Does the bad outweigh the good?" Bruce asked.

She nodded miserably. "It's…agonising. I can't think of another word for it."

"There is one more thing that concerns me," J'onn said. "If your power as an empath is growing-"

"I wouldn't call it a power," Bruce interrupted.

"More like a curse," Diana said in agreement.

"Whatever we may call it, if it is still growing," the Martian continued, "then it is still growing now."

"But Batman is with me," the Amazon pointed out.

Bruce, however, saw where J'onn was going. "For now, Princess."

J'onn nodded. "Precisely. Until Batman leaves, it is impossible to gauge how bad it will be."

---

**A/N: Dun dun dun! Just so you know, there will be cliffhangers at every POSSIBLE opportunity, 'cause I love 'em! Review this one please! Also, I need to know approx how many people are in the JLU – I was thinking like 50? Too many? Not enough?**


	7. Emotional Buffer

**A/N: Thank you for all the people that answered my question - 60 seemed to be the general consensus. I honestly CANNOT stress enough how wonderful it is that people like my story – and your reviews are the only thing keeping me going at the moment: things have gotten really hectically bad at home, but that's not your problem lol, just enjoy the chapter! **

**Chapter Seven – Emotional…Buffer**

Not wasting any time, and not wanting to leave the Princess, Batman asked J'onn to call a founder's meeting in order to discuss the situation with the others. Diana couldn't help it – she flinched. "Is that what I am now?" she whispered as the Martian left. "A situation? A _mission_?" Missions were things she solved, things she dealt with and…

"Diana." She looked up to meet the blank white eyes of his cowl, feeling utterly lost. She was the one who saved people, she was the one who fought the bad guys, who _did _things, not the _victim_ – it was a role she had no idea how to play. Everything was different now. Looking at the man in front of her, she began to wonder…was this how everyone else saw Batman? He was so…alien. A man, but one whose face could be utterly blank of all humanity. Capable of anything – any miracle or atrocity. It was no wonder every criminal in the world was more afraid of him than anyone else. Diana knew he would never kill, but that was because she knew him – or did she? Could anyone ever truly know a man such as this? Fear that she knew was all hers, and still inexplicable, welled up.

Then Bruce pushed his cowl back, and instantly, everything was better. He wasn't terrifying…he was Bruce. Just…_her own personal shield_. Without thinking, she put her arms around his shoulders. He didn't miss a beat, one arm circling her waist and the other settling on her hair, drawing her closer. She didn't ask any of the pointless questions running through her mind, and he didn't offer any words of cold comfort. They only held each other, both dry-eyed and heart-heavy.

"Bruce," she said after a while, "how do I…"

"How do you what?" he asked, his voice rumbling pleasantly against her chest.

"Let someone else save me?" she whispered embarrassedly.

He drew back, smirking softly and brushing a strand of hair from her face. "It's not so hard. I let you save me once, remember?"

It had the desired effect; Diana mock-gasped and slapped his shoulder playfully. Bruce tried not to stumble backward, and just grinned at the renewal of her good humour. "'Let me' huh?"

He let go of her slowly, but didn't pull the cowl back up. She blinked at him for a second, as if really wondering if he trusted her _this _much, if he knew what he was offering her. He wouldn't be Batman until she was ready for him to be. Without words, he was telling her that until this was over…he'd be there. For as long as she needed him. It was the first time in her life Diana had wanted to weep in gratitude. She didn't, and instead only ran her fingers through his hair until she came to the back of his neck, letting her fingers caress the skin there for a moment. His mouth opened as she leaned closer, their breaths intermingling. Oh God if she kissed him now…

She didn't. Only hooked her fingers in his mask and pulled it back over his face. "Thank you," she said.

He blinked, snapping out of the trance that her eyes had somehow locked him into. He'd have to look into that. See if it was a new ability that had developed along with the empathy. Had to be. "Anytime, Princess."

"The others will be waiting."

"Then we should go."

Side by side, they left the infirmary, walking only slightly closer to each other than they ordinarily would have done, but it was the only sign that things were not as they normally were. Both their strides were confident, measured. Unhurried and assured. Totally in control of everything around them. Of course, Batman was always in control of everything around him, but Diana felt much less so. The dull ache behind her eyes had increased slightly when they left the Medical Bay, but with Bruce by her side it was easy enough to ignore the odd pangs of feeling when they did pass someone. The tiny niggling feeling in the pit of her stomach wouldn't go away though, and she could not help believing J'onn's words. If – when – Bruce left, it would be worse than bad.

She swallowed, strengthening her resolve. It didn't matter if he was prepared to be with her twenty four seven – she wouldn't let him be. Gotham was too important to him to force him to choose. She would make sure that there was nothing wrong with her – visibly at least. It might not hold for long, but it would hold for long enough for Bruce to return to Gotham. She would not see him give up what was most vital to him for her.

They got to the double doors, she keyed in the entry code and stepped through the doors, Bruce after her, and sat down at her usual seat. Five faces looked expectantly at her, the most concerned of all being Superman. Flash still seemed angry at what she'd said, and honestly, she couldn't blame him.

"I have explained in basic terms what is happening to you, Diana," J'onn said. "And how it effects your behaviour."

"Speaking of," she began, "Flash, I'm really sorry about what I said, you didn't deserve-"

"It's ok," he said grudgingly. "I understand. I was pretty angry at myself."

"It wasn't something you needed me to say though."

He smiled. "Di, don't worry about it. Water under the bridge."

"I'm still not sure I understand all this," Clark began. "J'onn, you said that empathy is a more primitive form of telepathy. Does that mean that at one point Martians had it?"

"Long ago in our evolutionary history, yes," J'onn answered. "But it is not an ability that can be truly governed without many months or years of intensive training. Hence why, I assume, telepathy became the main method of other-sense."

"Other-sense?"

"How we sense things from other beings. Telepathy is far easier to control and more precise."

Superman nodded thoughtfully. "And why is Batman unaffected?"

"I assume it is simply because Batman maintains a more rigid control of his emotions than most people are capable of."

They all looked at Batman's impassive face. "Keep staring and I'll start charging," he growled after a while.

They all looked away, and Clark frowned, looking at Diana again. "Can you feel anything now?"

She shrugged. "Not really. I know you're all worried about me, but I don't feel…as I did earlier."

"Which was how?" GL asked.

She looked down, not wanting to tell her friends that they caused her pain. "Which was…uncomfortable. Having the emotions of all my friends running through me is…intense, to say the least."

"It's not just your friends, Princess," Batman's voice said firmly.

She drew in a sharp breath and cast a sideways glare at him. _Did you have to tell them that, Bruce? _Everyone else's gaze focused on her, and the vague uneasiness she'd felt since entering the room spiked a little. "Very well…I am feeling emotion from whomever I'm around. And the range it has seems to be increasing. Apart from when Batman is around me, for some reason."

"So wait a sec, you can't tell what Bats is feeling, and around him you can't feel anything from anyone else either?" He blinked at the Dark Knight. "So you really are an emotional black hole!"

Batman treated him to a Batglare. Flash backtracked. Quickly. "Buffer, I mean! Emotional…buffer."

"I agree," J'onn said. "It would appear that you do provide some kind of psychic barrier, Batman."

He nodded. "Obviously whatever is happening to Diana has something to do with the old woman in the cave – I've asked my contacts in the occult to investigate."

Hearing this, Diana looked at him sharply, remembering what he'd told her about it not being magic. And now he was looking into a field where he admitted he was out of his depth. She remembered talking to Zatanna after her sojourn as a pig, how she'd marvelled at how far Bruce had been prepared to go for her. Here he was doing it again, she realised with a surge of warmth.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Anything else?" Batman asked, ignoring her. "I need to contact Nightwing and ask him to watch Gotham for a few days."

"That's not necessary," Diana said. "I'm not that bad."

"If me leaving is going to cause you unnecessary pain-"

"It's not what I'd call pain, exactly," she replied, outright lying now, and praying to Athena that what was doing was the right thing. She made sure to keep her words the speech of Wonder Woman to Batman, knowing that if she appealed to Bruce he'd never buy it. "And we can't afford to let this affect the bigger picture. Gotham is your city; Nightwing knows it well, but not as well as you. I won't have the people of Gotham suffer because of me."

The lenses in his cowl narrowed to white slits, and Diana knew she was being assessed for the signs of deception. Deliberately, Diana made sure she kept her body language open and her expression neutral. It seemed to work, since Batman nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. But if something goes wrong up here-"

"Then we'll call you," she said firmly. "But only if it becomes necessary."

"Agreed," Superman said. Everyone else concurred, and soon enough the meeting broke up. Flash and GL went to get some much-deserved rest, with Superman and J'onn going home to the human women that waited for them on the world below **(A/N: J'onn did marry a human woman at some point right? I'm not just making that up?)**. Shayera left soon after her fiancé, saying something about getting a soda from the cafeteria, and bemoaning the lack of caffeine that her pregnancy had induced. She left a silence that to Bruce seemed awkward, but Diana only smiled warmly at him, still buoyed up by the fact that – at least temporarily – he was willing to put Gotham on hold for her. Not that she was planning on letting him.

"I appreciate the rescue," she said softly, referring to him coming to the Watchtower earlier.

The corner of his mouth pulled up, letting her know that the picture of Paris was flashing through his mind too. He looked up at her. "I'm surprised you need it. From what I've heard, it isn't really your sort of affair."

She grinned. "I could get used to it." _Especially if you're the one rescuing me, _she added silently.

His smile faded, the seriousness coming back. "Diana-"

Before he could complete the sentence, his comm. went off, along with Barbara's voice not long after. "Oracle to Batman."

"Go ahead."

"Jason Blood contacted me," she said. "He said to tell you that he has some information and will meet you in the usual place."

Batman frowned. "Why can't he come up to the Watchtower?"

"Didn't say," she replied breezily. "Is it a problem?"

He glanced toward Diana again, who gazed back with perfect composure. "No. I'll be there. Batman out."

Once his hand was down from his ear, Diana focused on him. "Are you leaving?" she asked, forcing as much levity into her tone as she could.

He nodded. "Jason Blood has something."

She stood, her back straight and standing tall. "Alright. You'll call if he's found something?"

He nodded again. "Of course."

"Well I'm going to take a shower," she said, giving him a smile before her face fell into a frown. Hera, she was only across the room from him and already it was worse – Shayera was standing just outside the room, concerned about her and with the urge to talk. She didn't know how she knew that, only that Hawkgirl's worrying was making her worry too. Batman's footsteps followed her out, and they took one last glance at each other before he strode away down the hallway toward the transporters.

The further he went, the more emotions hit Diana. Shayera was saying something, and Diana saw her mouth moving, but was unable to focus on the words. J'onn had said it would get worse, but surely she hadn't been with Bruce long enough for it to get _this _bad-

She knew the exact second Bruce left the Watchtower, since suddenly she could feel the emotions of every single person on board.

Why in Hades had they expanded the League – why hadn't seven been enough? Sixty was _ridiculous_. Tired, curious, hungry, angry, happy, sad, excited, puzzled, guilty, in love, heartbroken – _aroused_ from someone – every single shade in a myriad of emotions hit her. Any question of whether or not the bad outweighed the good evaporated from her mind. Two impulses warred in her mind: the first to call Bruce back here and run into his arms without ever leaving them, the second to curl up in a corner and die. Diana pushed away from Shayera, babbling about getting a shower. She flew through the hallways, thankfully only knocking into Kal, since anyone else would probably have had a Wonder Woman-shaped hole in them. She didn't hear him shout after her, but she did feel his anxiety for her as effectively as a knife to her heart. By the time she entered her room, she literally fell through the door. Now not having the strength to walk, she crawled through a pain-filled haze to the bed, grabbing a pillow and drawing her knees up to her chest.

Someone passed by the now-closed door, fighting the urge to cry. Diana tore the pillow she held in her hands in two with a choked sob, feathers scattering everywhere. In twenty seconds, her hand went up to her communicator a dozen times, and a dozen times, it came down again. She took a deep breath. "I am Princess and champion of the Amazons," she whispered waveringly. "I will control this. I do not need a man to-" She ran a hand through her hair, ripping the tiara from her head and flinging it across the room. It hit the wall with a crunch of metal and lodged there, quivering slightly. She did not need _a_ _man_, she needed-

"_Bruce_."

---

She hadn't fooled him. He didn't know why she even thought she could. Of course feeling the emotions of others would hurt – such a simple fact he could have worked out for himself, even without Diana telling him. Hadn't she said it herself? "_Bruce, this _hurts_." _

He suppressed the urge to groan and run his hand over his face. He knew that trying to argue with the princess would be worse than useless, but _why _had he listened? She needed him. He frowned, trying not to feel a certain perverse pleasure in that. _First time for everything. _He didn't want her to need him. He wanted her to stand straight and tall and utterly without fear. It was painful watching her fly away to each mission and know that she might not be coming back – at least not to him. He hadn't realised how accustomed he'd become to her constant strength – how in turn, it gave _him _courage. Seeing her afraid was unbearable.

There was the softest of noises from the doorway of the abandoned warehouse he and Jason Blood were meeting in, and Batman detached himself from the shadows. "Well?" he bit out.

"I did some digging based on what you gave me," the half-demon-half-man answered. "Opinion between occultists and magic users was divided in some places-"

"Most common answer."

"Skatha. Goddess of the Underworld, believed to be of Welsh origin. Her MO was to turn a person's greatest strength against them, and was bound to one form and confined to an unknown prison because she did it to some Greek hero or other."

"And the gem found there?"

"Apparently some kind of warning. Am I right in thinking that it was golden, and glowing?"

"Yes."

The other man nodded in understanding. "In the ancient world it was a commonly known and accepted warning sign."

Feeling like he really could have done with knowing that sooner, Batman pointed his grapplegun at a beam and fired. "Thanks," he said quickly before reeling it in and lifting smoothly up from the ground. He needed to get back to the Cave, see Alfred and tell him he wouldn't be living in the manor for…however long it was going to be before this was resolved, as well as organise some kind of alibi for Wayne…he was pretty sure he had a villa on some Caribbean island he hadn't used before. Or maybe just a Caribbean island.

Heading back to where he'd left the Batmobile the night before, Bruce passed the time by listing the things that needed taking care of while he was in orbit. He needed to contact Dick, ask him to look after Gotham…make sure Gordon knew that he needed to triple the security on Arkham…tell Fox he wouldn't be at any board meetings…

Arriving at the Cave, it was to find Alfred already waiting, an espresso balanced on a silver tray. "Coffee, Master Wayne?"

He picked it up and drank, pushing his cowl back at the same time. "Thanks."

"I take it you won't be staying long, sir?"

"No. Someone in the League is in trouble."

Alfred nodded. "If I might enquire, is it Her Royal Highness or Mr Kent, sir?"

Diana or Clark. The only two people outside of the Batclan he'd put ahead of Gotham at any time. Not bothering to be surprised by the Englishman's omniscience, Bruce answered. "Diana."

"Ah." He gestured to his side, where a leather-bound suitcase waited. "I took the liberty of packing a few items for you, sir. An alibi has been arranged, and Mr Fox has been briefed that you will be…unavailable for a few weeks. I imagine you will want to contact Master Dick as well. He's upstairs."

He did stop then, wondering how much of a pay rise he should give his surrogate father. "Thank you, Alfred," he said finally, putting a hand on his shoulder before replacing his mask and sitting at the screen bank, composing an email to Commissioner Gordon. Five minutes later, that was done and he was taking the stairs back up to the manor two at a time.

Dick was in the kitchen as he entered, slurping at a milkshake. As he'd told Bruce many, many times, no one was too old to stop enjoying one of Alfred's milkshakes. "What's up, Bruce?"

"I need you to-"

"Watchtower to Batman!" Zatanna's voice in his ear was desperate.

"Batman here."

"You need to come up here right now!" she said frantically. "Wonder Woman is-"

"Teleport me in thirty seconds," he ordered. "Dick, there's a situation. I need you in Gotham till I get back."

His son nodded. "Sure."

As quickly as he'd raced up the stairs, Bruce raced back down them again, grabbed what Alfred had packed him and disappeared in a burst of white light. "Where is she?"

Zatanna blinked. "Her room, but I don't think-"

When, approximately three seconds later, he arrived outside Diana's room, angry wasn't quite the word to describe how he felt when finding Superman, the Flash and GL all grouped around the door, each looking more worried than the last. "What the _hell _are you doing?"

Superman blinked, then frowned in anger. "We have as much right to be worried about Diana as you do-"

"Exactly," he ground out. "You're _worried_. She's an _empath._"

All three of them widened their eyes. "Oh Lord," Clark muttered. "That is so stupid-"

"You _standing here_ is not helping either, Kent!"

"We're going, we're going!"

Lantern paused, six foot two of marine managing to look nervous. "Uh, Shayera's already in there."

Without bothering to give them more than a glance of disgust, Batman punched the passcode into the door panel, walking through dreading what he might find.

Diana and Shayera were both on their knees facing each other, both breathing hard. Shayera had her green eyes trained on Diana, even though she was wincing in pain – Diana's hands were tightly gripping her upper arms, and Bruce was surprised she hadn't crushed the bones yet. Diana's face wasn't visible, as her head was down, her breathing ragged with sobs. Shayera looked up at his entrance, her expression desperate. "A little help?" she mouthed.

He nodded and took two steps forward, noticed Diana's fingers relinquish their grip a bit, though they didn't let go. He knelt, addressing Hawkgirl. "Why did you come in here?" he demanded in a low voice. "If you know it's going to hurt her-"

"N-no." They both looked at Diana to see her lift her head up slowly, as if even that were a struggle. "Hurts, but I…needed a friend…" He looked at her face, seeing it creased in discomfort. She knew what she was saying, though, and he understood. However much everyone else's emotions might hurt, _Diana's _emotions needed the comfort of having a friend nearby. Moving gently, he prised her fingers from Shayera's arms. The redhead sighed in relief, rubbing at the fingerprint bruises on her biceps. "Go. Use through the comms if you need to contact us."

She nodded and moved away, leaving Bruce and Diana alone. "May have…exaggerated…when I said it wasn't…pain," she gasped.

"I thought you never lied," he told her softly.

There was the ghost of a smile. "Can't blame a girl…for trying…"

He pulled her into his arms without thinking, felt her shuddering shoulders relax as her head rested on his shoulder. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better. Still hurts…but at least I can think straight…"

"Tired?"

She nodded, and he pulled her up and sat her down on the edge of the bed before pulling boots off. She watched him do one silently, her eyes slightly narrowed and head tilted in question. He shrugged and directed his gaze downward, back to what he was doing. Bad idea, since he was mere inches away from endless, creamy, smooth legs that just went on forever. Safe behind his cowl, he let his eyes travel slowly upward, his gaze luxuriating in running heatedly over silky skin. Diana shifted slightly above him, letting out a tiny noise of distress. Cursing himself, he relinquished his grasp on her foot. _You can ogle her later, _the Bat hissed. _After she's done losing her sanity_.

"Sleep, Princess."

She lay down, but took his hand. "Stay with me?"

He nodded, then positioned himself alongside her, feeling slightly awkward as to where to put his hands. Apparently not feeling the same uncertainty, Diana moved onto her side, curling into his body with her head between his neck and shoulder. _Damn it, Diana, do you have to smell so good? _

"Bruce…"

He decided right then and there he never wanted to hear his name ever again unless it was Diana who said it, in that sleepy, breathy voice. Bruce suppressed a sigh and wrapped an arm around her waist. He waited until her breathing evened out and he was sure she was asleep before reaching up to his communicator. "Batman to Hawkgirl," he whispered.

"How is she?" Shayera's worried voice asked.

"Sleeping," he answered. "But that's not why I called you. My information points to the cause of this being a goddess of the Underworld called Skatha. She was confined to one form and locked in the cave we found because she cursed a Greek hero."

"A Greek hero, huh? So you want me to fly to-"

"Yes. Take the Javelin, see if Hippolyta knows anything – _under no circumstances _let her come back with you. The last thing Diana needs right now is her mother's concern," he said, shifting slightly to look into her face. Though she was asleep, her eyes were roving ceaselessly under her lids, her mouth twitching and uttering soft sounds of unhappiness. He imagined it was how he looked every night.

"Understood. What if Hippolyta doesn't know anything?"

"Then demand an audience with the gods if you have to. Do whatever it takes, I don't care," he snarled.

"I'll leave now. Don't worry, Batman. I'll find something."

"Shayera."

"Yes?"

Eyes still fixed on the princess in his arms, Bruce swallowed. "Hurry."

---

**A/N: Wow this is longer than I thought it was going to be. Sorry for repeating myself at the beginning there, but I wasn't sure if it was clear before. Anyway, hope you liked this – I have an awful feeling that Batman was completely out of character. Review and let me know! Oh, btw, I'm back to uni v soon, and it's final year, so updates will become considerably slower but I'll never abandon this, I promise.  
**


	8. One Million, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand

**A/N: I cannot BELIEVE that so many people have reviewed! Can't believe and am thrilled hee hee. And I'm sorry if any of you study classics, 'cause I'm about to mess with Greek mythology mwhahahahahaha!**

**Chapter Eight – One Million, Two Hundred And Fifty Thousand**

It was one of those flawless days, Hippolyta thought. Contrary to popular belief, her kingdom was not a paradise all the time. Granted, by the grace of the goddesses it was idyllic most of the year, but on occasion there were days where every minute, from sunrise to sunset, was truly perfect. The sky cloudless, the sea warm, the grasses and trees lush with greenery. The laughter and singing of her sisters resounded from every stone. All the Amazons, happy and laughing and-

The queen frowned, sighing. No. Not all the Amazons. All but one. And the day, no matter how perfect, was suddenly spoiled in her eyes. Each morning, she questioned her decision to exile Diana. It had been the right thing to do following Themysciran law – but that law had been in place for thousands of years, laid down in times that bore no resemblance to the way things were now. When men were harsh, cruel and brutish creatures – not that Hippolyta was convinced the majority of them still weren't – but she'd also been shown that there were some men who knew honour, nobility, selflessness. Some men who could possibly be considered heroes. But the person who had shown her that…

Hippolyta looked toward the horizon, to where the golden curve of the sun was breaking away from the ocean. _Where are you, my little sun and stars? _Was her daughter even now risking her life in some hopeless mission? Was she tired and cold, and all alone? How many years, how many lives of men would have to pass before she could lift Diana's banishment? It was time like these when as a mother she would do anything to see her-

Straightening suddenly on her horse, the queen put a hand to her face to shield her eyes as they fixed on a dot moving swiftly in the sky. Surely that couldn't be- As the shape moved closer, it cleared and focused into the form of a machine, a jet not unlike Diana's own, a jet she recognised as belonging to the Justice League. Hippolyta smiled, her heart lighter than it had been in months. Diana, her own little girl, come home to… Halfway into kicking her horse into a gallop, the queen of the Amazons stopped, closing her eyes briefly.

No. She was more than a mother. And as Queen it was her duty to deny the exile entry into Themyscira. Rather than racing at full speed toward the sleek silver ship just landing on the white sand at the end of the beach, Hippolyta turned her horse, and galloped back to the palace.

It was with surprise – and not a little disappointment – when, fifteen minutes later, six of her warriors came into the throne room, along with someone who was not her daughter.

---

Shayera didn't like feeling nervous. It wasn't something she was used to. In fact it had been months since she'd felt really apprehensive about anything. And now, here she was, shaking in her boots because of the look in Queen Hippolyta's blue eyes. Absolute confidence, utter imperiousness and a dissecting curiosity. She wanted to know why Shayera was here, and she wanted to know right now, or there'd be consequences. Thankfully, the Thanagarian was no longer treated as an intruder as such – but the Amazons were wary of any visitor to their island, friendly or not. It was the same commanding look Diana could pull off when she had to.

Still, she knew that she held the trump card – even if it was one she'd rather not be playing. Diana was in trouble, and exiled or not, was still Hippolyta's daughter. Hawkgirl was starting to understand something about maternal affection herself.

"You are the one known as Hawkgirl," the queen said, her voice harsh with centuries that did not show on her face. "What do you want on Themyscira?"

"Something has happened to Diana, Your Highness," she said quickly.

All the blood drained from Hippolyta's face, and Shayera cursed herself for her choice of words. She'd never been subtle, but that had been tactless even for her. The queen pushed up from her throne, grasping Shayera's arms hard. Right where the purple bruises were still showing from a similar grip Diana had used less than a day ago. "Does she live?" Hippolyta whispered.

Hawkgirl nodded frantically. "She's alive."

The other woman's eyes closed in relief, and her grip on Shayera's arms loosened slightly. "Then what? She is injured? Ill?"

"Actually…it looks like she may have been cursed."

Uttering two words in Themysciran, Hippolyta dismissed her guards and turned her full attention to the redhead. "Tell me everything."

---

Bruce really did not want to leave Diana. He wanted to wake her up from whatever nightmare she was trapped in, tell her it was alright and that there was nothing that could harm her as long as he was around. He wanted to keep her in his arms and protect her from everything.

Which was a problem.

He could accept the idea that he kept a tighter rein on his emotions than most people. He could accept that for some reason – as yet unknown – he was also an emotional buffer that blocked at least in part other people's emotions. The problem was that his emotions were on a tight leash…except when it came to Diana. When it came to Diana, everything about him went _normal_. But rather than the usual reaction of instant lust, Bruce had actually spent enough time around her to develop affection for her. To become friends with her. To become, if he was honest with himself, more than friends. Much more.

Manoeuvring the fitfully sleeping princess out of his arms – regretfully – Bruce moved silently to the door. _J'onn?_

_Yes, Batman?_

He took a deep breath, not seeing another way but not liking this one. _I need your help._

There was a stunned silence in his mind. _Of course. Why don't you come to the medical wing? That way my emotions will not affect Diana. _

_On my way. _

By the time he got there, J'onn was standing in the centre of the room, arms by his sides. Batman got right to the point. "During the invasion before we set up the League, you put a mental block on my mind, to prevent the invaders from sensing my location. Could you modify it to block my emotions?"

The Martian blinked. "If it became necessary, yes. May I ask why?"

Bruce took another deep breath. "Diana. I know that for some reason I'm immune to her empathetic ability. I'm not sure I'm going to stay that way. I would like you to place the barrier. Just to be on the safe side."

J'onn opened his mouth to ask why, then decided he didn't want to know. Or didn't want to enquire, at any rate. "Then I will attempt to put a similar block on your mind." He hesitatingly put his hands either side of Batman's head. Nothing outwardly happened, but after a few moments J'onn's eyes stopped glowing, and he lowered his arms. "It is done."

"That's it?"

"Yes. It should hold, unless…"

"Unless?" he asked swiftly.

"Exceptionally strong emotions will possibly break it – but from what I have learned about you, Batman, that is unlikely," he finished with half a smile.

He nodded. "I hope you're right. Could you set up the same thing on everyone else?"

"Almost certainly not," J'onn replied. "It takes much energy, and is difficult to maintain – the only reason you will be able to do so is because of the emotional restraint you practice naturally anyway. No one else would be able to do so."

"Alright. At least she's protected from me," he murmured, exiting the room.

---

"Who was this woman?" Hippolyta demanded.

"All we have for a name is 'Skatha'. Apparently a Welsh goddess, _but _she was banished to the cave she was found in after cursing a Greek hero."

That caught Hippolyta's attention. "A Greek hero? Which one?"

"No idea," Shayera answered.

The two women were sitting on the steps leading to the queen's throne, knee to knee and talking earnestly. "If I do not know which-"

"We were hoping that either you would recognise the name Skatha-"

"I do not. Though…"

"Though?"

"From what you have told me, this goddess does bear a certain resemblance to Eris, the goddess of discord."

"And who would know for sure?"

Hippolyta looked at her as though the Thanagarian was utterly stupid. "The goddesses, of course."

Hawkgirl raised an eyebrow. "The goddesses. Of course."

"Wait here," the queen commanded. "Phoebe, Elektra!"

Two Amazons dressed in simple white toga-style dresses came in and bowed. "My Queen?"

"Give our guest anything she may require," Hippolyta told them. "I must consult Hera."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Shayera interjected. "No offense, Your Majesty, but I came here for answers, and I'm not leaving until I get them. Whether they come from you or the gods."

Hippolyta looked at her, a hint of amusement creeping through despite the graveness of the situation. "You have a warrior's spirit, daughter of Thanagar."

Shayera glanced downward quickly, not sure what to say to that. "Um…thanks?"

"The goddess will approve," the queen told her. "Come then." Without another word, she swept away, Shayera following her out of the palace and into the sunlight outside. As they passed, most of the Amazons around them cast curious glances at Shayera before bowing to their queen, but no one said anything. Hippolyta didn't bother to acknowledge any of them, still too tense and anxious about her daughter. Were it not for the regal bearing with which she carried herself preventing it, Hawkgirl was fairly confident the queen would have sprinted across to the Temple of Hera.

The two women ascended the steps and entered the cool darkness, Hippolyta dismissing the guards at the entrance. It would do moral no good for the Amazons to know their sister and champion was in such danger. When they got to the back of the temple, where the huge statue of the goddess loomed over the whole structure, Hippolyta didn't stop and kneel, and Shayera was expecting her to. Instead she moved toward the seemingly solid stone wall between Hera's huge feet, and then pressed her palm to the cool marble. With a rumbling noise, a previously invisible door opened inward, revealing a darkened passageway with a spiral staircase descending into the ground. Hippolyta grabbed a torch from the wall and held it aloft. "Come."

It seemed as though they were expected, since the unlit torches lining the staircase flickered into life the further down they went. The steps seemed endless, a never ending treadmill of stone. Shayera lost count at seven hundred and twenty four steps, and still they went on. She made a mental note to fly back up. Finally, after at least half an hour walking down, they came to another blank wall. Hippolyta did the same thing she had in the temple above, and the two women went forward into a round chamber, more brightly lit than the staircase had been, but without any visible means of illumination. All the hairs on the back of Shayera's neck stood up, and her hand inched unconsciously toward the handle of her mace.

The indefinable light flared, and immediately Hippolyta dropped to her knees before the three figures that suddenly appeared in the chamber. Shayera didn't, instead gripping the handle of her mace. Which was then snatched from her hand by an…owl?!

The bird let out a screech and wheeled, dropping the weapon into the outstretched hand of a goddess. From the deity's warrior garb and weaponry, Shayera guessed this was Athena. Of the other two, the one next to her had to be the most beautiful woman Shayera had ever seen – if it was even possible for a woman to be more physically perfect than Diana. She regarded the Thanagarian with slightly amused eyes which brightened when they came to rest on her abdomen. _Aphrodite then_.

"We mean you no harm, Hawkgirl," she said. "But had you attacked we would have been forced to retaliate, and then you would be no help to Princess Diana."

Shayera wasn't convinced, and crossed her arms defensively. "You mean me no harm after you've taken my weapon?"

"It will be returned to you." That seemed to be all the answer she was going to get, since the goddess standing slightly in front of the others spoke.

"Rise, Hippolyta, Queen of Themyscira."

Hippolyta did so. "I have come on behalf of my daughter, Great Hera."

"Yes, we know. Though we are unable to perceive what has happened to her, or who did it. We know only that she is in great pain."

Shayera nodded, interrupting. Hippolyta sent her a glare, but the redhead couldn't have cared less. These weren't her goddesses, after all. "She's become an empath. And as for who did it, the intel the League was able to gather points to a Welsh goddess called Skatha."

"Skatha!" Hera gasped. Behind her, Athena and Aphrodite hissed in anger. "How is this possible?" Hera demanded. "We banished and imprisoned her thousands of years ago!"

"Well…there was an accident and…she got to Diana," the redhead explained somewhat sheepishly.

Shayera didn't understand ancient Greek, but she knew swearing when she heard it – and Hera cursed at least three times. Loudly. "She must have recognised Diana carried our gifts, and revenged herself upon her."

"But I have never heard of a goddess called Skatha, Great Hera."

"She is sister to Eris," the queen of the gods answered. "And the more trouble of the two, if that is possible. Do not fear, Hippolyta."

Athena spoke, tapping Shayera's mace against her palm. "We will find her, and force her to reverse the curse she has laid upon your daughter."

---

"You figured out what's wrong with 'em yet?"

The mechanic – a perfectly ordinary human – sighed and rolled her eyes, thankful that the red-clad hero couldn't see her. "No, sir."

"You can call me Flash, y'know."

"Ok. Flash. I have no idea what's wrong with the transporters yet. For some reason one of the circuits keep shorting out, but every time I fix it, another one goes. I don't know how long it's going to be before I can fix it, but I'm working as fast as I can."

"Which doesn't appear to be very fast at all," the speedster said.

The mechanic snapped, threw down her screwdriver, and stood up. "Admittedly, that's not as fast as you, but then you don't know the first thing about electronics, do you?"

"Well…no, but I-"

She planted her hands on her hips. "Then please, _Flash_, would you mind leaving? I'm sure I can get this done with a lot more speed if I wasn't being distracted."

He blinked for a second, then grinned. "See, I like a girl with spirit. You wanna-"

She interrupted him again. "Can you flirt with me after I've fixed the transporters?"

---

Diana shot awake, her fists in the air and every muscle in her body tense with fear. She'd had nightmares all night, fuelled by the pain she was in when she went to sleep. Her dreams had been full of splintered images, some she recognised and some she didn't, but all threatening and all terrifying. And her mother wasn't here to kiss her brow and whisper that the goddesses would protect her from everything. The goddesses had, apparently, abandoned her. She knew it was heresy, but had no other explanation. With tears already in her eyes and the corners of her mouth pulling down, Diana blindly sought comfort. She turned her head, expecting to inhale the scent of leather and Kevlar – only to find that her pillow was softer than she expected, and was in fact…just a pillow.

She sat up, swallowing against the pain that threatened. She felt like she had a- what was it Flash called them? Hangovers? Only this one wasn't affecting her head; her chest felt as though she had a large weight pressing down on it. The room was dark, still, since the window was tinted to prevent the people on the Watchtower being blinded by the sun. "Bruce?" she whispered. One tear tracked down her face. He'd said he'd stay with her…

She heard the barest whisper of movement, then a weight settled on the edge of the bed. "Here. How are you feeling?"

"Worse," she replied hoarsely. "I don't- I can't-" Suddenly she drew in a gasp, quickly followed by a burst of fresh pain. New anger, sorrow, heartbreak and guilt all stabbed at her from a million different minds. Unable to bear it, Diana's voice was lost in a harsh scream of pain, sobs consuming her.

"Diana!" Bruce shoved his cowl back, then grabbed her, hands on either side of her face. "Diana, focus on me!"

Her blue eyes, wild and terrified, fixed on his, but had to close again in agony, one of her hands clawing the top of her uniform. "H-how d-do they- Oh H-Hera help me…" Knowing that if she was strong enough to literally tear her own heart out if driven to do so, Bruce took her hands in one of his, hoping that the contact would help to soothe her.

"Diana, stay with me," he whispered harshly, putting his mouth to her ear. While his body tried to comfort her, he was frantically trying to think of what might have caused this. Last night – and just after she'd woken, she'd been in pain, yes, but not this much pain – she'd been lucid at least, able to form sentences and speak. This was sudden and had taken control of her completely, totally incapacitating.

The thought, when it came, struck him like a lightning bolt; fast, hard, and just as painful.

He let go of Diana's hands, instead using one arm to cradle her against his torso, and used his now-free hand to reach up to his ear. Flash's voice answered him. "What do you need, Batman?" the Speedster asked quickly.

"Where are we?" Bruce barked. "Which country are we above?"

Less than three seconds later, Wally answered. "Hawaii, just coming over it now. Halfway across the Pacific."

Bruce closed his eyes and cursed. "Population."

Another minuscule pause. "One million two hundred fifty thousand, just over."

"_Shit!_"

"What is it?"

"Diana," he answered immediately. "She can feel all of them."

This pause was longer than the rest. "Shit."

"Gather the others," he ordered. "Conference room. We can't wait for Hawkgirl now."

---

**A/N: I told ya – I LOVE cliffhangers! So, the question is: what are they going to do to help Diana now? Answers on a postcard please! Just to be clear – she's still not feeling Bruce's emotions, but he's no longer an effective buffer for her, at least not until they find somewhere more…secluded, shall we say? Review!**


	9. Cosmic Metaphor

**A/N: As someone was kind enough to point out last chapter, I wrote about the Amazons wearing togas – obviously I was wrong lol, since they're not Roman, so I apologise for that! Any references I've gotten wrong here – blame Wikipedia for them lol! Also I worked it out and this is going to be around the 17-18 chapter mark, not the 10 that I first naively suggested tee hee. **

**Chapter Nine – Cosmic Metaphor**

_J'onn! _

The Martian's eyes glowed slightly as he titled his head to reach out and accept the urgent thought that Batman was sending him. _What is it?_

_Diana can feel people on the planet's surface._

J'onn's eyes widened. _That is unexpected. And potentially very dangerous for her state of mind. _

_That much I know, she's- _Batman's mental voice, brimming with frustration and anxiety, cut off. It was a couple of seconds before he spoke again, this time in his normal, much calmer timbre. _She can't talk anymore, and is in obvious pain. I don't think she can read my emotions, but evidently I'm no longer any kind of protection for her. _

_I see. I'm afraid there is nothing that we can do until Hawkgirl arrives back-_

_J'onn, she is _losing her mind_! _

It was like being shot in the head, and though no empath himself, the bite in those words made the emotion behind the words redolent. Any question in the Martian's mind about the exact nature of the relationship between his two colleagues disappeared. Even if they themselves were unaware of it. Or in denial.

Focusing on the task at hand, J'onn replied. _I could put Diana into a drug-induced coma. _

_She still has nightmares when unconscious_, Batman said.

_Probably because dreams are more emotion than thought-based. However, surely it is better than the alternative. _

_True. I'll sedate her and bring her to the medical bay. If…_

J'onn frowned. _If? _

The connection was cut off before he could question further. Sighing, J'onn got up and began preparing the medical bay for Diana.

---

Diana was barely aware of Bruce calling her name again – all she knew was the pain. They were still over Hawaii, and the anger was building, making her want to rip something apart – but the conflicting happiness stopped her, the sorrow forcing her to cry. It hurt more than emotionally now, since her throat was raw with sobs and her eyes stung as though someone were pouring acid into them. Still, she couldn't stop, too full of grief to do anything but weep.

The gentle press of lips to her forehead woke her slightly – she did not stop crying, but managed to raise her face blindly to his, to try to listen. "Bruce?" she breathed, seeing concerned blue eyes drift in and out of focus.

"Diana, you're in pain. I have to sedate you, but-"

She gripped his hands, vaguely hearing bones creak but not caring enough to notice. She tried to gather enough air to speak. "M-make it s-stop. _P-please_."

She let go of his hands and buried her fingers in her hair, ready to tear out the dark strands. She barely felt the prick of a needle in her upper arm before everything, mercifully, went black.

---

Less than two minutes later, Bruce entered the Infirmary carrying a slumbering Amazon princess in his arms. "She's out," he told J'onn.

"How much anaesthetic did you use?"

"150 mg Pentothal," he replied.

"That is more than the recommended amount for…anyone," J'onn pointed out. "A lot more." He'd have to use the apparatus to help her breathe now, since the drug that Batman had used would almost certainly have restricted her respiratory and cardiovascular functions.

"Diana's a meta. She'll be fine," he answered brusquely, putting Diana down on an empty bed. "Just make sure she stays unconscious until we've had the founders meeting."

"Founders meeting?" J'onn questioned, frowning at his patient. She was deeply locked into unconsciousness, but not at all restful; her face was creased in pain, her eyes moving from side to side under their rids, her lips slightly parted and letting tiny whimpers escape her. She looked nothing like the Wonder Woman he had stood and fought side-by-side with for years.

"Yeah," Batman said. "Do what you have to do, then get to the conference room." Without another word, he turned and left the room.

J'onn pretended not to notice the last – lingering, he thought privately – glance at the prone figure of the princess. He shook his head slightly before intubating her. "Humans," he mused to no one in particular. Such odd creatures.

Ten minutes later, the five male founders of the League were gathered around the circular table, discussing their cursed colleague.

"She needs to be as far away from people as possible," Batman said.

"We're hundreds of miles above the Earth," Green Lantern pointed out. "There is nowhere else."

"I believe that the sudden worsening of Diana's condition is due in part to the number of people onboard the Watchtower," J'onn said. "It is possible that sensing their emotion had acted as a gateway of sorts, to feeling the emotions of those on the planet's surface."

"So what you're saying is, if we get her away from anyone, she might recover?" GL asked.

"Stabilise, certainly," J'onn confirmed.

"Well evacuating the Watchtower's out," Superman said. "Aside from the fact we need it to monitor Earth, there are some for whom the Watchtower is the only home they've got."

"Agreed. But neither can we use the Cave. It's far too close to Gotham," the Dark Knight said.

"So what are you suggesting, outer Mongolia?" Flash asked incredulously.

He got no reply further than a Batglare.

"What about the Fortress?" Superman asked thoughtfully.

There was a silence for a moment, then Batman spoke. "Good idea. It's far enough away from settlements, and no one outside of the League knows its exact location. How long would the food stocks last?"

"Long enough, hopefully," Superman answered. "And the living quarters are comfortable enough."

"But in order to get there, we'd have to fly over most of Asia and Europe," Batman observed, cursing the fact that the transporters were out. He looked at J'onn. "Would the sedation hold that long?"

"It should do. Diana's metabolism is faster than that of most humans, but I do not believe she will wake before you arrive at the Fortress of Solitude."

"Good. In that case we'll leave straightaway," he replied, getting up and heading to the doors. "Have Hawkgirl contact me when she gets back."

---

Athena spoke, tapping Shayera's mace against her palm. "We will find her, and force her to reverse the curse she has laid upon your daughter."

"Great," Shayera replied. "Can I have my mace back now?"

The goddess gave her a blank look. "No."

"Oh." There didn't seem to be much to say to that.

"Who is with her?" Aphrodite, who hadn't yet spoken, asked. Her voice was like listening to spring water.

Shayera narrowed her eyes. "What difference does that make?"

"Humour me," the goddess of love replied simply.

"Batman. For some reason she isn't in as much pain around him."

Hippolyta shifted, frowning. "A man? You left her alone with a man?"

"Hey, all the men in the League care about Diana, Batman included."

"To not be afraid, Hippolyta," Aphrodite said. "She is in good hands." Shayera blinked in surprise as the goddess actually winked at her.

"And in the meantime?" The redhead asked. "I can't just go back to the Watchtower with nothing."

"Until we locate Skatha, there is nothing that can be done. If Diana is safe for the moment then keep her that way."

"Rest assured, it will not take long," Hera said.

Without another word, the three goddesses vanished in another flare of light, leaving Hippolyta and Shayera looking at one another with puzzled expressions, especially since Shayera's mace was suddenly back at her belt. The Thanagarian noticed the queen's hands were fisted at her sides, and Hippolyta's mouth was compressed into a thin line.

"You ok?" Shayera questioned.

"I am fine," she said immediately.

"I wouldn't be," Shayera replied quietly. She wasn't expecting Hippolyta to talk – wasn't even sure she wanted her to, but Diana was her friend. Still, somehow, after everything she'd done, Diana was her friend. And if Diana's mother needed someone to talk to then she'd try.

Hippolyta was silent for a moment, then she spoke. "I will return to Man's World with you," she said decisively. "I need to see my daughter."

"I can't let you," Hawkgirl said immediately, remembering Batman's words to her. Now that she was here, and could see the look of desperation in the blonde woman's eyes, it was proving harder than she'd expected to deny Hippolyta the right to see Diana. If it were her, she was pretty sure that nothing would have stopped her. But it wasn't – and right now she was Diana's friend, and she'd seen what people worrying about her did to Diana. That and Batman would kill her.

"I know you want to see her, but if you would be causing her more harm than good, Your Majesty, trust me on that."

Hippolyta was silent again. Shayera got the impression that she was a woman of few words. She and Batman would have got along like a house on fire. Had Batman not been of the male species, of course.

The queen took one, long, deep breath, and released it slowly, suddenly looking much calmer and utterly serene. She still had gravitas in her countenance, but was accepting of the situation. "Very well. I will not return with you, but I wish to be informed the moment she is recovered."

Shayera nodded. "You have my word."

---

Batman got no further than a few steps toward the Infirmary before he remembered that J'onn would have intubated Diana. And though he was competent in field medicine, there was no way he was qualified to pull a tube safely out of her trachea. Not that he'd trust his hands to remain steady anyway – not with Diana.

Thankfully, J'onn was close on his heels. As the Martian carefully removed the tube helping her breathe from Diana's throat, Bruce gently removed the IV from her hand. "Will she be able to breathe by herself?"

"Yes. Enough of the drug will have metabolised by now."

Sure enough, as Bruce bent down to check, there was warm breath teasing across his jaw. Repressing a sigh of relief, Bruce gathered her into his arms, giving J'onn a nod of thanks before leaving as quickly as possibly for the hanger. It was the work of a matter of moments to make sure she was secure in the ship – he took the Javelin, rather than the Batplane, not wanting to have Diana sat behind him where he couldn't see her. She was still twitching, occasionally, and though J'onn had stated that she wouldn't wake until they got to the Fortress, Bruce wasn't willing to take any chances of her waking up above Europe. If a million minds had been too much for her to handle, God only knew what more than seven hundred million would do. The Batplane would do Mach 3, the Javelin could do Mach 4 – if he pushed the engines.

Bruce pushed them.

Hard.

It was no less than ten minutes between the Watchtower and the Arctic Circle; visible breath came from both of them in tiny puffs of air. It was cold, but not actively so – more like the cold before a snowfall than anything. Still moving swiftly and smoothly, Bruce carried Diana through the Fortress – it was strange, but the Fortress and the Batcave were exactly opposite, and exactly the same. The Cave was permanently shadowy, black all the time. A place of darkness. The Fortress seemed perpetually bright, white light everywhere you looked. A place of illumination.

They were both places of solitude. Of loneliness.

It was enough for Bruce to (inwardly) utter a small snort of irony. Cosmic metaphor. The same, but different.

Moving by memory, he located the living quarters quickly. Setting Diana down on a low couch, he sat on the edge of it and brushed some hair away from her face. She moaned a little, uttered an inaudible word or two. Her eyelashes flickered, casting trembling shadows on her cheeks. She was waking up. "Diana."

She stirred again, muttering more. "Diana, wake up."

"Bruce…"

He was sure she didn't mean that to sound as sultry as it did. Decided to inject a little urgency in his voice, he tried again. "Diana!"

Her eyes shot open, and she drew in a sharp breath. Finally her gaze settled on his face. "Bruce?"

She sat up slowly, and he passed her some water. "How are you feeling?"

As if considering it for the first time, she tilted her head. "Better," she said in a surprised tone. "_Much_ better. What happened? And…why are we in the Fortress?"

"Later. Do you still feel other people?"

Another pause as she thought about it. "Yes. But it is more like a buzzing noise than anything…like you hear around bees. A vague feeling of unease."

"You seem much better," he noted with a slight warmth to his voice.

"I do feel it," she agreed. "Why are we here?" she repeated.

"We're far away from most people on Earth here, and apparently that's enough for me to be an effective buffer for you. You're safe here."

She nodded thoughtfully. "For now."

---

**A/N: Review please!**


	10. Blindsided

**A/N: Thank you to all the people who reviewed last time, it's really helping to keep the creative juices flowing! Here's the next chapter, and it's mostly BMWW, though there is a little deviation – but not much!**

**Chapter Ten – Blindsided**

It was cold here. Of course, she'd expected that, what with the Fortress being in the Arctic and all, but hadn't expected the particular _quality _of the cold. It wasn't the sharp, stabbing pain of being plunged into a icy lake – this was a pleasant kind of cool, a balm to soothe a headache. Good job too, since Diana's costume didn't exactly cover much – not that she felt the cold, but it still affected certain parts of her anatomy in a rather embarrassing way.

They spent the first couple of hours in the Fortress of Solitude in an odd quiet. Neither of them said much after Bruce had ascertained that she was alright now, but they had watched each other almost constantly. For her part, Diana was feeling a little embarrassed. She was Princess of Themyscira – ever since she could remember, it had been drummed into her to maintain a state of regal dignity at all times. Now she was falling to pieces and crying all over the place. Generally being as _undignified _as possible. As well as flinging herself – quite literally – onto a man. She couldn't, of course, know what was going on in Bruce's head, but he watched her as if she would burst into flame at any time, or was carrying a bomb behind her back. She supposed that her sudden change from gibbering wreck to composed Princess was a little much for him to accept quickly, and that he was probably concerned (and trying not to show it) about her welfare. As well as – if she knew Bruce – feeling guilty about no longer being an effective buffer for her around people. She had no idea what he could have done to prevent that, and probably neither did he, but Bruce was good at feeling guilty.

She shifted slightly in her seat at flicked her gaze back up to Bruce's blank white one. "So why here?" she asked.

"I told you," he said. "It was – is – the safest place on Earth for you."

"But what about Gotham-"

He held a hand up. "Diana, please don't insult us both by assuming I'm going to fall for that again."

She coloured slightly with a light pink hue he found adorable against his better judgment. "I wasn't trying to trick you, Bruce, you know I'd never-"

"I know, Princess," he assured her, turning his face slightly so that she wouldn't see the corner of his mouth curling up.

"Then why do you insist on winding me up?" she snapped.

He blinked at her tone, but reflected that seeing her angry was a nice change to seeing her helpless. He knew she was probably more angry with herself than anyone. "I sent Hawkgirl to Themyscira," he told her eventually, having already briefed her on what they knew so far.

She looked up. "Why?"

"Because Skatha was banished for cursing a Greek hero. Shayera contacted your mother to see if she knew anything. I told her to speak to your gods to get answers if Hippolyta didn't."

She looked utterly stunned. "You- You told her to demand an audience with the gods?" she whispered.

Batman didn't fidget, but would have been doing so if he could. "Yes," he answered simply.

Diana's mouth dropped open, and she gawked at him silently for a few moments before giving a tiny laugh. It was followed by another, and another, all totally incredulous. "You are…the most arrogant, most irreverent, most impertinent, most…audacious man I have ever met!" she finally cried, getting up.

He blinked. "Diana, I-"

Diana overrode him, now pacing. "You simply order Hawkgirl to Themyscira, in order to order my mother to order the _gods_ to give you information…" She paused and took another deep breath, Bruce assuming she was preparing another tirade. He was wrong. When she spoke again, her voice was much quieter, and her expression much softer. "…just so you could help _me_," she finished.

Feeling suddenly blindsided – not a feeling he was familiar or comfortable with – Bruce wondered how he'd not seen the discussion taking this turn. And how to get out of it. _Old tricks are the best. _"I would have done the same for anyone, you know that."

"Would you?" she questioned. "Would you have put Gotham on hold for just anyone?"

"Diana-"

She sighed. "I don't want to have this same discussion, Bruce, but…" They knew each other well enough so that each could see where she was going with this. She trailed off, knowing that his mind would be making her argument for her.

This wasn't the first time he'd done something like this for her. Risking his identity (at least with her) to rescue her in a ballroom full of strangers in Paris. Risking his life to help her storm the palace in Kasnia, and then doing it again the same night to release her from a cell. Risking his reputation to sing for her life. And now, the most telling thing of all…risking his city to protect her sanity. Deep inside his psyche, the Bat shook its head and heaved a sigh. He was sunk.

Thankfully, before he could – for what would have been the first time in over twenty years – utter the word 'um', Diana changed the subject.

"I don't suppose you know where Superman's kitchen might be? I'm kind of hungry," she confessed. Thinking about it, she hadn't actually eaten in over thirty six hours.

"I have no idea," he said. "Though not far away would be my guess."

"I'll have a look," she said quickly, lifting into the air and gracefully flying away.

Ten minutes later, she came back bearing two plates, both with sandwiches on them. "Kal has quite a lot of food back there considering he's either at the Watchtower or with Lois most of the time," she commented. She handed Bruce one of the plates with a smile. "Cheese, tuna and olives. With extra pickles. Though I have to say I do not understand how anyone-"

"How do you know my favourite sandwich?" he asked abruptly.

She cast him a sly look. "I learnt how to cook from Alfred," she reminded him. "I basically know all your favourite meals."

He raised an eyebrow. "I see." Pushing his cowl back, he took a large bite while Diana watched in mild disgust.

"Though how you can eat that…" she trailed off with a grimace.

"What? Cheese, tuna and pickles?" Another bite, and a grin. It faded as he carried on. "Alfred used to make it for me when I had nightmares as a kid."

She frowned, opened her mouth to ask more, but then decided against it. Something that intimate wouldn't be shared until Bruce wanted to share it. Which was likely to be never. "Well it still looks revolting," she said firmly.

"Well what have you got?"

"Chicken salad."

"Original," he said dryly.

"I believe there is a saying in Man's World," she replied. "Something to the effect of 'if the arrows are straight, there is no need to replace the quiver'?" At his look, she shrugged. "It loses something in translation."

"You mean 'if it isn't broken, don't fix it'," he told her.

She nodded and took another bite, almost all her sandwich gone now. Another thing he liked – eating with any other woman, well…the models didn't eat, and the rest took tiny, dainty little nibbles of their food that made Bruce wonder why he was bothering to pay for dinner at all. Diana just ate with a vitality that was refreshing to see. Within another ten seconds, it was gone completely, and she sat licking her fingertips in contentment. Suddenly Bruce's enjoyment of his own food vanished. He swallowed without tasting, throat dry.

Without change of expression, Diana suddenly began laughing. "What?" he asked, thinking that perhaps she was picking up someone else's emotion, even from here. If she was then they had a serious problem. Where could they go? Another planet, perhaps, but-

"It just hit me," she giggled. "I'm sitting on a couch with Batman – eating a sandwich!"

She sounded slightly hysterical, not that he could blame her. It was all a little surreal, a fact he acknowledged with a slight half-smile.

"It's just so…_domestic_," she said.

He narrowed his eyes. "I think that was an insult."

Diana went back to the kitchen to get another sandwich, and they ate in comfortable silence for a while before she spoke again. "Bruce?"

"Yes?"

"What are we supposed to do? For…however long we're here, I mean? It's not like we can go on missions, and I haven't seen a TV anywhere…In fact, what does Clark _do _when he's here? He has to entertain himself somehow surely."

"I wouldn't bet on it. Boy scout probably just makes papier-mâché models of Lois all the time," he replied.

Diana tried and failed to suppress a smile. "Bruce, that's not fair."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"I'm not," she grinned. "Besides, I've never had the opportunity to explore the Fortress properly. You know, when I'm not being ambushed by Mongol."

Bruce's face lost all trace of levity at that, remembering with revulsion and something akin to fear the Black Mercy and its 'gift'. He looked at Diana, seeing her mouth settle into a grim line too. When she managed to pull it off him, in her weakened state she wasn't strong enough to avoid succumbing herself. She wasn't under long; maybe a minute or so, but he knew from bitter experience that was more than enough. He never could explain where the strength to pull the plant from Diana's body came from. Afterward, he only would liken it privately to the adrenalin surge that allowed mothers to lift cars off their children. Past that, he refused to think about the implications. He'd never told her what he saw, and neither had she asked. Clark had given them the bare minimum of his fantasy. Diana neglected to tell Superman that the Black Mercy had even latched onto her, and she'd never told Bruce what she saw.

Putting her plate aside, Diana wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly in a manner that had nothing to do with the cold. "You done?" she asked quickly. "I want to have a look at the biome." **(A/N: I'm going on **_**The Man Who Has Everything**_** here, it looked like a big greenhouse to me. Similar to the Eden Project. Google it.) **

---

"You fixed 'em yet?"

The pretty mechanic Flash was trying to flirt with gave an audible sigh and turned around, pushing her hair from her face. "Not yet, it's still playing up."

"Come on, take a break," he urged. "Brought you a mocha," he said, pulling it out from behind his back.

"Well…I suppose I could take a quick one," she said.

"Great!"

"But I don't drink coffee," she smiled. "And nature calls, excuse me." Before he could utter another word, she sauntered past him with a kind of sensual grace that Flash had only seen before in Diana. Diana, unfortunately was like a sister to him. He had no such qualms about ogling the mechanic.

"Never gonna happen," John's voice commented from behind him.

"What?" Wally asked, spinning around. "Why not?"

"Way out of your league," his best friend grinned.

"Hey, I'm a superhero!"

"Not what I mean," GL said. "She's not interested, man. Leave it."

Flash pouted. "You don't know that."

Lantern raised an eyebrow. "Give it up, buddy. I'll take that mocha, though."

---

Being a goddess was boring. That was the answer Eris would give whenever (and she had been several times over the millennia) she was asked why the gods interfered in the lives of mortals so much for their own amusement. It was just _boring_. Eternity with nothing to do on Olympus, or in the Underworld. Except fiddle with inferior minds. In Eris's opinion, she was the best of the gods – at least she was honest about her reasons. All these so-called benevolent goddesses – Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis – they all liked to pretend themselves so mighty, so pure of heart. As if Aphrodite hadn't been responsible for the fall of Troy. As if Artemis hadn't had Actaeon ripped apart by his own dogs. And as for Hera – the worst of all of them, Queen of the gods or not! Eris had never forgiven her for banishing her twin.

All Eris did was openly cause discord instead of covering it up with another, prettier name.

And now here they were, trying to threaten her! Thankfully, Hera and Aphrodite had brought Athena with them. To say she and Athena liked one another would be too much of an overstatement, but being the goddess of war, Athena couldn't totally despise her. Eris would at least be able to have a conversation, rather than simply being forced into whatever it was.

"Sisters," she greeted with a cold smile.

"Eris," Hera began, "you will locate your sister."

She drew back, shocked. "Skatha was imprisoned by your hand, Hera," she hissed. "You alone would know where to find her cell!"

The queen of the gods narrowed her eyes, taking another step forward and drawing herself up to her full height. "Her banishment was well deserved," she replied harshly. "After what she did to-"

"And you yourself have never cursed mortals, have you, _Great Hera_?"

"Enough," Athena said. "None of this is helping-"

"_Where_ is Skatha?" Hera demanded. "Only you know how to find her."

"What do I get in exchange?" Eris asked. She wasn't about to betray her twin without proper compensation.

"What do you want?" Aphrodite returned.

"Twenty four hours free rein on Earth," she said. "Without interference from the rest of you."

"Out of the question," Athena began. "With twenty four hours you could do irreparable damage to the world. We cannot-"

Hera held up a hand. "Twelve. On the condition that-"

"None of your precious Amazons will be harmed," Eris sneered.

"Then you have your free rein. _After_ you bring Skatha before us."

Eris nodded, an incredibly pleased smile on her face. "Done. I'll find Skatha for you – but I cannot guarantee her cooperation."

"I can," Athena growled.

---

Entering the biome was a little unsettling; it was incredibly hot and humid in there compared to the cool, dry atmosphere of the rest of the Fortress, the floral scent of the plants in there hitting her nose in a pleasant assault. Some she recognised, but most she didn't, making her exploration of the garden all the more fascinating. She knew Bruce was close by, but he wasn't at her side right now. She felt a little in conflict about that – the pain was worse when he wasn't at her side, and she knew being alone with him like this was a golden opportunity that she wasn't likely to get again. But knowing that, it was difficult to capitalise on it. She wasn't exactly experienced at seduction – and knew that he'd probably go completely cold toward her if she tried. But by the same token, it was nice to have a little time to herself.

She reached out to touch the slightly bumpy leaves of the nearest plant. It was incredibly soft; like running her fingers over velvet. She pulled her hand back just in time – the previously benign looking plant coiled backward and struck at her fingers with teeth that had definitely not been there before.

"Whoa!" she said quietly. Ok, now she was glad that Bruce wasn't with her. _Mental note. Don't touch anything. _

By the time she'd finished looking around the potentially dangerous plants, and gone to find Bruce again, it was late, and Diana was tired. She found him, unsurprisingly, in the Hall of Weapons, no doubt worrying himself silly over the amount of dangerous equipment Superman would have access to if he ever decided to go rogue. She stopped at the entrance, leaning against the doorway. Sure enough, Bruce was crouched over a plasma disruptor, examining it closely with a frown on his face. "You know he's strong enough to not need them, don't you?" she asked.

"I know that," he replied shortly.

"Yet here you are anyway," she commented lightly.

"You think I'm being paranoid." He flipped open a flap on the barrel to have a look at the wiring inside.

"You're always paranoid, Bruce. It's part of your charm."

"In my experience, it's paranoid people who stay alive the longest," he pointed out.

"Well I've done ok so far," she smiled.

He looked up at her finally. "Anything in particular you wanted, Diana?"

_You. _Swallowing that, she shook her head. "I just thought I'd let you know I'm going to bed. It's late."

He checked the time, a little surprised to see it was two am, but not feeling all that fatigued. It wasn't surprising – it was at least five before he got to sleep most nights. He nodded. "Alright," he said, turning back to the weapon in his hands.

She hesitated slightly, but didn't say anything further than: "Goodnight, Bruce." She turned and left, his cobalt eyes tracking her form out of the room.

"Sleep well, Princess."

He didn't think she'd hear him, but she turned her head slightly, smiling. She hoped he wouldn't notice the fact that her face was heating, but increased her pace a little. By the time she located the Fortress's only bedroom, she was almost dead on her feet. Removing her breastplate, bracelets, tiara, lasso and boots, Diana slipped under the covers, falling asleep praying that she wouldn't get nightmares tonight.

When, three hours later, Bruce decided to give into the sleep demon, he quickly checked in on Diana, relieved to see that her breathing was steady and even, her face serenely beautiful. She wasn't dreaming. Maybe she'd finally be able to get a good night's sleep. Not wanting to disturb her, he crept out of the room again and stretched out on the couch. The bed was big enough for both of them, but she deserved unbroken sleep. He doubted he'd be as lucky, but fell into slumber swiftly.

---

_The alley is dark, and wet, the ground stained with various bodily fluids, none of which bear thinking about too closely. It's not the kind of place anyone wants to be in Gotham after nightfall, but still, there are three of them, and it's the quickest route to the taxi rank. Besides, the family have had a wonderful evening, and all of them are happy, laughing and quoting the movie they've just seen, the child most of all. _

"_Haha, let all evil-doers beware my-"_

_A man steps from the shadows, and suddenly the warm, comfortable atmosphere of the night is gone. Some touch of as-yet undiscovered premonition comes forward – something terrible, something irrevocable and horrifying is about to happen, and all three of them are powerless to stop it, caught helplessly in destiny's hands. _

_The gun isn't shiny, isn't large or impressive. It is what it is – an ugly tool of death. It sparks an immediate revulsion in the child's heart that will remain there, a stain on the soul, forever. The voice that issues from the man is just as ugly. _

"_We'll start with the pretty pearls around the lady's neck," he says, gesturing with hands that seem abnormally huge, roughened and battered by a life that's made the man ruthless. _

_The two parents convulsively clutch their child closer, hands reaching down to clutch shoulders slightly bony with youth. Another stab of fear. Parents are supposed to be indestructible, a perpetual presence in a child's life. Now they are all about to find out just how breakable parents are. _

_The man bares teeth yellow with years of neglect at the terrified family. "Now." _

_The father makes a sudden grab for the gun, but this criminal is more hardened than others; rather than relinquishing the gun in his shock, he only squeezes the trigger. The bullet seems, to the child at least, to take forever to leave the barrel, and it flies through the air as if forcing its way through gel. Funny, though, since when it hits its victim, he dies in less than a second. _

_The woman screams; a loud piercing shriek that someone, somewhere must surely have heard. But in this town, you hear a scream, you look the other way. Nevertheless, it makes the criminal panic, and he surges forward like a wave, his clawed fingers reaching out for the delicate string of pearls that hang closely across her throat. She struggles, and the child doesn't hear her scream again, doesn't hear the gun go off a second time. Awareness comes back as it begins raining, droplets of rubies and pearls falling with the water all around._

---

"NO!"

Heart racing, cold sweat drenching the sheets, Diana sat up, convulsing with sobs.

---

**A/N: Don't you just wanna give both of them a hug? *sniffs* I do. Review please!**


	11. Double Trouble

**A/N: Thanks for everyone who reviewed – here's the aftermath of Diana's/Bruce's dream. **

**Chapter Eleven – Double Trouble**

For a moment all she could do was sit there, still sobbing silently and drenched with cold sweat. She'd never been so scared, so utterly bone-freezingly _terrified_ in her life. She'd never had a nightmare like that before- she'd woken afraid after bad dreams, but never experienced the grief that came along with this one. Looking around the empty room, Diana had never felt so alone. She got out of the stifling covers with one thing in mind. _Bruce_.

Leaving the room, she headed to the living area – only to find that he wasn't there. The feeling of being alone intensified. She heard a faint sound from the kitchen, and flew there as quickly as she could. She set down silently on the floor once she got there, gawking. He was shirtless – and any other time Diana would have been thanking the gods for a) sculpting such a creature, and b) letting her see. But she wasn't, simply because of the way he was slumped over. Bruce was standing with one hand on the table, leaning against it, fatigue in every line of his body. It was the only time she'd ever seen him allow himself to look fallible. He held a glass of water loosely in the other hand. She took a step closer, realising that he was also dripping in sweat, and breathing as hard as she was.

"Bruce?" she asked. She winced as she heard her voice – it was still shaky with suppressed sobs, and he turned quickly.

"Diana? Are you alright?"

She made a diagonal motion with her head that wasn't confirmation or denial. "Nightmare," she confessed quietly.

He frowned. "I was hoping we were far enough away from people for that not to happen."

"It wasn't like the others," she said. "They were…unfocused. Just flashes of vague terror. This was clear…like a memory." She shuddered.

"Perhaps it was," he suggested.

She shook her head. "No. I hadn't seen a gun until I came to Man's World, and the people in it…" She frowned. "I didn't know them, but they seemed so familiar to me." And they'd obviously meant something to her as well – she still felt grief-stricken.

Foreboding began to inch its way up his spine. "Familiar how?"

"Like…I've seen a picture, but never met them. But it definitely wasn't a memory – I saw it from the perspective of a child, and my being in Gotham as a child is impossible."

He stilled, muscles tensing. He held his voice rigidly controlled when he spoke. "Diana…what happened? In your dream, what happened to the people?"

Even remembering it was painful. "They were just….he just…he killed them…all because of some _pearls_."

The glass in Bruce's hand shattered, making her jump. He didn't seem to have noticed – nor was he blinking, eyes fixed on her face, wide and- and- and _terrified_. "Bruce?" she whispered, taking his hand. When she reached to pull the shattered pieces from his palm, his fingers gripped hers, heedless of the pain he must have been in. "What's wrong? Are you-" It was her turn to feel her eyes widen, as comprehension dawned horrifyingly clear. "Oh Hera," she whispered. He looked away, and she took the opportunity to tug the shards of glass from his hand, then wrap a clean dishtowel around his palm. He didn't seem to notice. "You know it," she said.

When she'd finished, he looked back at her face. "I know it. It's my nightmare, Diana. It's the nightmare I've had almost every night for the past thirty years."

"And the people were-"

"My parents," he muttered quietly.

Without thinking, she wrapped her arms around his chest, closed her eyes and reeled in horror against his body. He stiffened, and she prayed he wouldn't misunderstand, and think she was pitying him. She wasn't pitying him, and she never would – but now she understood. Now she knew why. Now she knew _him_. And with that-

She loved him.

It hadn't been that solid before, that concrete. Or that simple. But it was now. She loved him.

With that realisation, it was Diana's turn to stiffen, and pull out of his arms, unsure how to deal with it now. "I don't understand why I…saw your dream," she whispered. "Why-"

"J'onn said that dreams are more emotion than thought," he said, feeling suddenly cold. "And during sleep the barrier that I provide you would be down. I'm sorry, Diana," he finished.

She looked back at him, her mouth dropping open. "You're sorry? Bruce, what in Hades are you sorry for?"

"Making you see it…you don't deserve that."

She gave a bitter laugh. "And you do? What exactly does anyone do to deserve that?"

"It's still not your burden to bear," he replied stubbornly.

She turned away, inexplicably disgusted with him. "It is only yours because you refuse to share it." She tried to walk away, but he grabbed her shoulders and spun her back to face him.

"What would you have me do?" he hissed. "What do you want me to do, Diana? Pour out my heart to everyone I meet?! What happened that night is my business, and it is up to me how I choose to deal with it!"

"Deal with it?" she shot back. "You think you're _dealing_ with it?"

His voice went venomous. "Drop it, Diana."

She narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin. "No. You would never have told me, or anyone else for that matter. Well the Fates have given this thing to me now, for whatever reason. And I'm not letting you run from me."

They glared at each other for a few minutes more – it was the first time she'd ever been able to hold his gaze without wanting to drop hers, and both of them knew right then and there that his glares would never work on her again. "You done?" he snarled after a while.

"Not quite," she replied. "I'm not asking you to become something you're not. But stop pretending you're alone. It's selfish, pretentious, and cowardly." One arched eyebrow raised a fraction in challenge. "Now I'm done." With that, Diana turned her back on the man she loved, and left the room.

---

Skatha was enjoying her new life. Thanks to her interaction with the Amazon champion, she'd been able to restore at least some of her youth; it wouldn't least all that long, but Skatha didn't need it to – there were a million ways she could prevent herself from growing old in this world, and so many people she could destroy. It had taken her a while to decide which mortals she wished to target first: the leaders of nations or the so-called heroes that protected this world. Heroes. Ha. Obviously this world was a far cry from the one she'd left – the days of Achilles and Hector were glorious, where men became heroes because of what they did, not what they were born as. Where she had to search to find their strengths before she wiped them out.

Still, it was probably best that she got rid of this pesky Justice League first – then she could set to work destroying the mortals. Besides, as long as she didn't touch Themyscira (apparently the only connection to ancient Greece left), there was nothing the other gods could do to stop her.

Sadly, it did not look as though she was going to get a chance to cripple Earth – Skatha felt a shiver of warmth move up her spine; it was a warning sign. There was another god nearby, but when the presence grew stronger, Skatha smiled, recognising it. A touch at her mind told her where to go, and Skatha eagerly transported to where her sister would be waiting.

"Eris!" she grinned, holding her arms out.

When her twin made no move to enter them embrace, Skatha dropped her hands, a scowl forming. "You have betrayed me," she said quietly.

"Oh, now don't look so surprised," Eris purred. "Hera gave me a good deal, and you are resourceful, sister. I'm sure you can work out a way to twist it to your advantage."

"This is because of the Amazon is it not?"

"It is," her twin confirmed. "Though I am curious – do you even know who it was you cursed?"

"She was an Amazon," Skatha shrugged. "I always hated them anyway, and it is particularly fun when the greatest strength in a person is compassion. It's so delicious watching them rip themselves apart."

"She's Hippolyta's daughter," Eris told her.

"Hippolyta has a daughter?" she squealed, delighted. "How wonderful!"

"Unfortunately Hera does not see it that way," her twin said. "You know what they will do to you for this."

"Oh I know. It will not be my first time in Tartarus. Lord Hades is always fun."

"And the Amazon is also his daughter," Eris told her. "I doubt you will find your welcome to be warm." **(A/N: I know you never find that out for sure, but I just think it adds another dimension to Diana.)**

"Hmmm…I daresay you may be right, Eris. I could work this to my advantage."

Eris grinned like a wolf and only then embraced her sister. "I knew you would. Good luck, my sister."

"How long do I have?"

"Oh, about another day, I should think. Hopefully enough for you to do what you do best at least once more – and for the Amazon to lose her mind."

"Very well," she replied. "Then I had better get to it. I will see you when it is the turn of chaos to rule the Earth once more."

"Be well, my sister."

With that, the two dark goddesses went their separate ways, with Skatha returning to her own task. Still grinning in anticipation, she made her way down the corridors to her prey.

"Hey, you're back!"

She gave the man a predatory smile. "I am back indeed."

"Seeing as you don't like coffee…" Flash grinned. "I brought you some tea instead."

---

The atmosphere in the Arctic was…frosty.

Both of them refused to be the first to cave, and instead sat at opposite ends of the couch, studiously ignoring each other. Diana was, in fact, pretending that her heart wasn't pounding every time he shifted even slightly. Why did she have to fall in love with him now? It just complicated an already volatile situation, made everything tense. Her outburst had not helped things either of course. And she was beginning to want to apologise. Discovering her love for him had unsettled her, and made her lash out. Bruce wasn't the empath, he couldn't be expected to realise how she felt. Though she was beginning to wish that she could know what he was feeling. Angry was a good guess.

She'd found a library on another exploration of the Fortress, containing amongst other things, to her great delight, a copy of the complete works of Shakespeare. Not that reading Shakespeare was helping her to not think about being in love. However, by _Love's Labour's Lost_, she couldn't ignore how much she hated him being so…Batman. It was disconcerting when he didn't have the cowl on. She closed the book and turned to him. "Are we going to not speak to each other the whole time we're here?"

No reply. He didn't look up from his personal computer that he'd produced from his utility belt.

Suppressing the urge to tell him he was being childish, Diana carried on in a hopeful tone. "Would it help if I told you things about me you didn't know?"

He made an impatient noise. "Diana-"

"I don't like feta."

Finally putting the computer down, he turned. "Diana, stop-"

"My favourite piece of Shakespeare is sonnet number 116."

"Diana, I know everything about you, stop-"

"I don't have a belly button."

"There's no point- What?"

"I don't have a belly button," she repeated.

He blinked. "How can you-" A small chuckle of surprise escaped him. "No, I guess you wouldn't."

"See?" she smiled. "You don't know everything about me."

"I could have worked that out."

"Did you know the other things?"

"Yes. Like I said, I know everything else about you."

"Like what?" she asked.

He sighed. "Like the fact that you don't eat Hershey's chocolate, only Cadbury's. You know all the words to _Girls Just Wanna Have Fun_. Whenever you have a free day, you teleport to the Grand Canyon at sunrise. You knew who Flash was before the Thanagarian invasion. You think you may have inadvertently let Lois know that Clark Kent is Superman before he told her-"

"Ok, ok, stop," she said.

He smirked. "Point made."

"I overreacted," she said, sobering.

"Yeah."

"But what I said still holds true."

He evaluated her for a moment silently. "Maybe."

"It's not weakness to accept comfort from a friend," she said. "But I…have this feeling that you're going to…pull away from me because of it."

He sighed and didn't speak for a moment. Diana's heart sank. She couldn't lose him, not now. "Diana…You have to understand…this is…incredibly difficult for me. You were right when you said I'd never tell you- I've never told anyone. Alfred knows, but he's never had to ask. In truth…the idea of anyone knowing- or seeing that…I can't-"

She nodded. "I know, Bruce."

He didn't say anything more, and only got up from the couch, walking away and leaving Diana wondering if she was forgiven or not.

---

It was late by the time Shayera got back to the Watchtower – 3 am GMT, and past the occasional hero going to bed, or Booster Gold on monitor duty, the Watchtower was surprisingly quiet. She slipped into the quarters she shared with her fiancé, quickly undressing and getting underneath the covers, smiling a little at John as he stirred and opened his eyes, smiling sleepily at her. "Hey you."

"Hey yourself," she murmured, kissing him softly.

"Find anything?" he asked, more awake now.

She shook her head and yawned. "Not really. I'll explain in the morning."

"It's morning now," he pointed out.

"And I'm tired," she said. "And pregnant. You sure you wanna keep me from my bed?"

He grinned, a white flash in the darkness, and kissed her forehead. "'Night, Shay."

She smiled and snuggled a little deeper into his arms, drifting to sleep blissfully…

…until she was woken up again, five minutes later. Or what felt like five minutes. But unless the clock was lying, it was eight hours later. She smiled again, recognising the slow, rhythmic stroking of her wings as belonging to John's hands. He'd always loved her wings – it was one of the first things she'd fallen in love with him for. On Thanagar, wings were nothing special. Here, they made her his angel.

"Sorry to wake you," he said. "But Dr Thompkins is expecting us, and the transporters still aren't working." Since it was an unusual pregnancy, and would likely draw a lot of press attention, Batman had given them the number of Leslie Thompkins, assuring them that she was a friend; reliable and discreet.

She nodded. "What time?"

"An hour."

Thirty minutes later, showered and breakfasted, the couple took Diana's jet down to Gotham, and parked the invisible plane on a handy rooftop. There wasn't a lot Shayera could do about her wings, but at seven am in Gotham, there weren't many people entering the clinic. The kind-faced woman smiled warmly at them; she was only person in the building, apparently. "You must be John and Shayera," she welcomed. "Or do you prefer Green Lantern and Hawkgirl?"

"John and Shayera is fine," the redhead smiled, somewhat nervously.

"Wonderful, I'm Leslie. And I imagine you're anxious to get this over and done with."

The parents-to-be nodded. "This way then," the doctor said gesturing.

The three of them entered a neat and tidy examination room, complete with ultrasound machine and a table that she gestured for Shayera to lie on. The Thanagarian had to hide a smile – she'd never seen John look so nervous before.

"Now, this gel is a little cold," Leslie said, squirting a liberal amount of Shayera's exposed stomach. Her muscles twitched under the temperature, but she didn't react otherwise. Leslie switched the machine on and picked up the scanner. "Ok. Now I won't be able to tell you the sex of the baby at this stage-"

"We already know," both of them interrupted.

Leslie raised an eyebrow but didn't enquire how they knew. "Well, you will be able to hear the heartbeat. Let me just…" She moved the scanner over Shayera's skin until a rhythmic pulsing sound came clearly over the machine. "There," she smiled. "That's your baby's heartbeat." **(A/N: She's six weeks in, 'kay? Excuse any plot holes caused by that lol)**

The silence was…profound. Leslie smiled absently as the two superheroes in front of her underwent the same expression changes as all prospective parents did. There were some things that didn't change no matter what species you were or what powers you may have been blessed with. "It's so fast," Shayera whispered.

"Well, the smaller things are-" Doctor Thompkins broke off with a frown. "Actually…that is a little fast." She moved the scanner again, still frowning – it wasn't till John and Shayera were very scared that the smile came back into her face. "Ah, I see. That would explain it." She looked up. "You're having twins."

---

**A/N: Ha ha! Betcha didn't see that one coming did ya? ...or maybe you did. Let me know and review please!**


	12. Dancing

**A/N: This is a short chapter, but it was the right place to end it, I think. So I hope you agree, and enjoy reading! I don't own Louis Armstrong or anything he recorded. And one more thing – how many Javelins does the League have? I know there's a reference to Javelin 9 in the JLU, but does that mean there are nine of them? Help!**

**Chapter Twelve – Dancing**

Bruce hadn't gone far; only back to the Hall of Weapons, and not to examine any more of the weapons, but to think. He'd never felt so…naked. For years, he'd done nothing but wear masks, hidden from that night and its consequences. It was so easy to distance himself from everyone when there wasn't one person who understood what drove him. The same thing had happened to Dick, but Dick had never been truly alone – no, that wasn't quite true. He had been alone, he'd been the same lost little boy that Bruce had been…but unlike Bruce, Dick had gone out and found people. Hadn't been too afraid to step out of the dark.

But now…Diana did understand. Christ, she _knew_ now. When it came to the princess, he'd always been in conflict, but now it was an all-out internal war. The Bat kicked and struggled against the idea of anyone knowing what was so vital to its survival, but Bruce was just…relieved. He'd never have told anyone, and he certainly didn't believe in Fate, but for whatever reason, Diana had been chosen - and it felt right that it should be her.

Pushing aside all the emotion that that caused to well up, he focused instead on what he could do now. Either he'd do as she feared, and push her away, or…allow the knowledge to bring her closer. But there was only one more logical step they could take, and they'd have to take it together. And he was Batman. Batman didn't have _togethers_. And because of that, neither did Bruce. There was no one who could understand the importance of the mission, who wouldn't demand more of him than he could give. Except Diana. Thinking about it, there had never been another woman in his life who had so much _potential_ as she did. Talia, Selina – he'd had them. It sounded callous, but it really was a case of 'been there, done that' – not so with the princess. It was a cliché, but she was different. He remembered what _thinking _you were falling in love was like, and this was nothing like it. She was-

Before he could get any further, his League communicator went off. "Clark," he said, actually a little surprised that he hadn't been in touch sooner.

"How is she?" Superman's concerned voice asked.

"Better now we're here," he replied. "She's still aware of other's emotions, but is ignoring them."

"And how are y-"

"Fine," he answered briefly. "But you didn't call to enquire about my health."

"No," Clark said. "But Hawkgirl's returned, and asked me to give you her report; she's in-"

"Gotham, I know. Did Hippolyta know anything?"

"No, but she took Shayera to an audience with the gods. Apparently Skatha is the sister of Eris, the goddess of-"

"Discord. Do they know how to find her?"

"They've gone to do that now – Hera, Aphrodite and Athena. Shayera gave Hippolyta a League communicator so that we know when to bring Diana before them-"

"They want us to bring Diana to Themyscira? Unless the transporters are working again that's flying over all of Europe, and even if they are, Diana will still be able to feel the emotions of every Amazon on the island. Not going to happen," he said flatly.

"You're not her keeper, Bruce. And the transporters on the Watchtower aren't working, but we can still do a site-to-site transfer."

"Understood. Anything else?"

"That's about it. Oh, could you show Diana something?"

---

It was at least a solid minute before either Shayera or John spoke again. "Twins?" the redhead breathed. "We're having- we're having _twins_?!"

"Yep," Dr Thompkins beamed. "Congratulations."

John, apparently, couldn't speak, but beamed wordlessly and hugged his fiancée, burying his face in her hair. "I can't believe it."

For a moment, they just held each other, wallowing in parental bliss. Dr Thompkins printed off the blurry photo of Shayera's womb, pointing to two tiny, slightly more defined blurs. "There. Those are your children."

"Oh God," John said, suddenly realising something. "Flash is gonna be godfather to two of our kids."

"Flash?" Shayera asked. "Who said Flash is going to be godfather to my children?"

"Well who would you pick to-"

Leslie interrupted by clearing her throat softly. "Sorry to interrupt," she smiled. "But I have another appointment coming soon, and you have another thirty four weeks to decide on godparents."

"Of course," Hawkgirl said, wiping the gel from her stomach. "Thank you, Leslie."

"No problem. Anything you want to discuss, here's the number to my cell. It's on all the time. And I'll see you in another six weeks or so for another scan. With twins, it's recommended that you have more than the usual three."

They both nodded. "Ok. Thanks, Leslie," GL said.

A few moments later, the two heroes left the clinic and headed back up to their jet, and then the Watchtower. John insisted on piloting it back up into space, until Shayera pointedly tapped her mace and told him that on no account was she going to let him coddle her for the next nine months. Shayera flew back from Gotham.

When they got up to the Watchtower, it was to find all hell breaking loose.

---

It was just as Skatha opened her mouth to curse the red-clad hero that the warm shiver raced up her spine. Forgetting Flash, she spun away and prepared to find somewhere secluded to spirit away. She skidded to a stop with a hiss when a sword embedded itself in the floor, inches away from her feet.

"Skatha!" a very loud, very resonating, very furious female voice bellowed.

She transformed into her natural form - waist length dark hair and white gown - with a snarl. "Athena!"

"Come with us," the other goddess ordered.

"So you can confine me once more?" she sneered. "Never." She threw an arm out at the nearest mortal, letting all her destructive power loose down the limb. The poor mechanic she'd armed at simply _dissolved _into nothing but a small pile of ash on the floor.

Suddenly Skatha found herself surrounded in a triangle of goddesses – Athena, Aphrodite and Hera facing her. "Cease this!" the queen of the gods shouted.

Skatha's only response was to target the newly arrived Shayera, flinging another wall of heat at the Thanagarian. However, before she could kill her, the other deities stretched out their arms, electricity joining their fingertips together. The magical interference caused Skatha's magic to miss Shayera, instead blowing up the communications array in a flurry of sparks. All four goddesses vanished into nothingness, leaving the Watchtower stunned and silent.

They ended up on Olympus, as Skatha had expected. Feeling fatalistic, she laughed. "All this for one Amazon? Hera, really? She is one immortal!"

"She is one of Earth's greatest heroes!" Hera thundered. "You will release her from your curse, Skatha. Immediately."

"I'm curious as to why I should."

Athena looked ready to pop from rage. "If you do not, we will-"

"You will what? Confine me to a prison for the rest of eternity? If that is the best you have to threaten me with, I am afraid the poor princess will just have to stay cursed."

"What will it take for you to release Diana from your curse?" Aphrodite asked, the calmest of the three.

Skatha thought about it until a deviously evil smirk spread across her face. "I want the mortal to beg me."

Aphrodite paled, pink spots of rage appearing on her cheeks. "Out of the question! You cannot be trusted to-"

"If you are so determined to see her have love, Aphrodite, then I am sure you can patch something up. That is my condition. I want her mortal to beg me to lift the curse – without any interference or advice from you."

"You will only twist his words!" Hera hissed. "You cannot make mortals simply dance to your tune-"

"If he is careful then I cannot," Skatha defended. "That is my condition. Take it or confine me for all eternity for all I care."

Unable to see another alternative, and bound by her oath to Hippolyta, Hera inclined her head with a heavy heart. "Very well. Your condition is granted – and then you will be confined forever."

"Then your Amazon will be an empath no longer, as soon as her mortal comes before me," Skatha said.

---

Unable to sit and read Shakespeare anymore, Diana closed the book for good and put it to one side. She got up, debating for a moment whether or not to go after Bruce, but deciding not to – he needed space to think. So did she, for that matter.

"I'm in love with him," she said aloud. "Me! An Amazon, in love with a man!"

Realising just how echoey the ice was, Diana clamped her mouth shut and prayed to Aphrodite he hadn't heard that. She wasn't ready to tell him anyway. She wasn't sure she ever would be. Releasing a sigh of impatience at herself she moved over to a small silver device in the corner of the room that she'd noticed but hadn't yet had time to discover what it was. It looked vaguely familiar though…almost like a compact disc player.

When she experimentally pressed one of the buttons on the top, she realised that was exactly what it was. A whirring sound issued from it, before the soft, elegant sound of a jazz trumpet echoed from the ice walls. She raised an eyebrow, somehow not being able to put Clark and jazz together. It was impossible to tell where it was coming from – but when the gravelly voice of Louis Armstrong began, Diana figured it didn't matter. She loved jazz, she always had. It had been astonishing to her that music could sound like that – they had music on Themyscira, of course, but nothing like trumpets or double basses, and saxophones were still incredible to listen to. She'd never known such a sexy sound aside from this – well, jazz and a familiar baritone asking her for a dance in Paris.

Settling herself back on the couch, she felt herself beginning to unwind for the first time since they'd arrived at the Fortress. Her foot tapping along to the music, Diana closed her eyes and began singing along to the song. "I can't give you…anything but love…baby, that's the only thing…I've plenty of…baby…"

She'd gotten to the chorus by the time she opened her eyes again, to see Bruce standing at the doorway, a slight smirk on his face. "You really can't sing, you know."

She smiled. "I'll leave that to you."

He came further into the room, holding something behind his back. He stopped in from of the couch, and she got up. He took a deep breath. "Diana, if it had to be anyone…" He trailed off, but she knew what he wanted to say. _If it had to be anyone…I'm glad it was you. _

Bringing his hand out from behind his back, he handed her the rosebud he'd picked in the biome. It was the same bloom she'd given Clark for his birthday, and from the smile on her face, she recognised it. "Clark must have planted it after we left."

"I didn't think it had survived," she said, delighted. "Bruce…thank you."

He took it from her fingers and tucked it gently behind her ear, keeping her hair back slightly and pretending not to notice either her blush or the slight tremble of his own hand. He stilled when she reached up to take his hand again, smiling.

"Dance with me?"

---

**A/N: There you go, fluffy, I know. I just picture both of them – especially Bruce – liking jazz for some reason. But there you are lol – hope you liked it! And as always, review please!**


	13. Avalanche

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed – I can't believe this is still interesting! Happy reading for this chapter. **

**Chapter Thirteen – Avalanche **

"Shayera!"

Still coughing slightly, the redhead pushed herself up. "I'm ok," she said reassuringly to her very worried looking fiancé. "She didn't get me."

He helped her to her feet, giving her a quick once-over. "What was that?" he asked, turning to Flash. "You ok?"

The shaken hero nodded. "Yeah. Um, did those…goddesses say that was Skatha? As in the same one who cursed Diana?"

"Must have been," Shayera said. "Those were Diana's goddesses."

"Really? I though one of them was hot," Flash grinned.

Used to Flash and how quickly after almost being killed he could go back to his normal self, no one passed comment.

"You sure you're ok?" John said, turning to Shayera again.

"My feathers are a little crispy, but I'm ok."

Superman arrived on the scene along with J'onn. "Anyone hurt?"

"That mechanic is," Flash answered sadly, pointing to where the pile of ashes lay. Considering it had once been a human, it was surprisingly small. "That woman….Skatha…killed him."

GL stretched out his hand and carefully gathered up the ashes in a green bubble. "I'll take care of him," he said sombrely.

"Come to the conference room afterward," Superman told him. Then he spoke to the still-shocked and silent people all around, addressing the normal human employees of the League. "Take the rest of the day off. Go home to your families. Green Arrow, can you pilot the Javelin down to Earth?"

The archer left toward the hanger, and all the mechanics nodded but one. "Superman, what about…"

"We'll inform his family."

The man bobbed his head to the Man of Steel and left with the others. Clark turned to Shayera and Wally. "Come on, you two."

They entered the conference room and sat around the table. J'onn arrived a few moments later, with GL being the last. He was carrying a small, intricate box with the letters JL engraved on it. He placed it gently on the table, and they all focused on it.

After a few seconds, Flash spoke quietly. "Matthew Porter, his name was."

Clark's fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. "We'll need to inform the Liaison Officer. I'll inform his family."

"I'll come too," Shayera said, her tone angrier than they'd ever heard. The bitch had messed with Diana, she'd tried to kill Shayera, and an innocent man was dead for no other reason than amusement. Goddess or not, immortal or not, if Shayera ever got her hands on her, Skatha was a dead deity. John placed a hand between her wings, and she took a deep, calming breath. "If the goddesses have taken her away, it'll be back to Themyscira. Hippolyta's going to be contacting me soon, but with the comms. down…"

"It means we can't get in touch with Bats or Wondy either," Flash said. "Hope they're ok down there."

"If they weren't Hell or high water wouldn't have stopped Batman from getting Diana to help," John pointed out.

"They still have one of the Javelins," J'onn said. "If they needed assistance, it would not be difficult for them to reach us."

"We can assume that Diana will soon be cured," Superman said. "And that means we'll be back up to full-strength." He looked at Shayera. "Do you still want to come to Matthew Porter's family with me?"

"Yes," she said immediately. "They deserve to know that his killer will be brought to justice."

"I'm coming too," Flash said. "Matt was a friend."

John put a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

"I will stay and begin attempting to repair the communications system," J'onn said. "It is also my suspicion that the problem with the teleports will also be easily resolved."

John checked the time. "I have monitor duty."

Superman nodded and stood up. "Alright then." He picked up the box of Porter's ashes. "Let's go."

---

For once in her aeons-long life, Eris was spoilt for choice. There was so much discord already in this world – less, she sensed, than there had been before this 'Justice League' was formed – but there was still plenty to choose from. Conflict was everywhere, in every direction she looked. She looked for weak points first – the first being an area that _radiated_ conflict in the Middle East. It called to her even more since the two governments involved were in the process of brokering a peace deal. It made it so delicious.

The peace summit was being held at a secret location in Europe – the leaders from both sides, as well as a negotiation team from the UN. Secret location to the world, and to the press, but not to Eris. She used her twelve hours wisely – within the course of one afternoon, negotiations that had been going well, that could have saved hundreds if not thousands of lives – fell to pieces. Arguments of religion, of old grudges, of current conflict and past atrocities all suddenly bubbled up. When the negotiations degenerated into the two leaders throwing glasses of water at each other, the UN team called a recess. The leaders called an end to the ceasefire.

Finally, she found a nice spot lying on top of a burned-out shell of a mosque to watch the glorious chaos begin. She'd only been there thirty minutes or so when she felt a warm shiver up her spine, followed by a swift breeze. "I wondered who they would send," she mused.

"Time to go, Eris." Hermes sounded annoyed.

"Oh but the fun is only just beginning!" she smiled. A missile flew past the two gods to impact a couple of hundred yards away, impacting into a school. Eris pouted. It was night; the school was empty.

"Eris!" he almost yelled. "Hera gave you your twelve hours. Obviously you've caused more trouble than even I thought you were capable of – and without the Justice League at full strength too. You really are despicable aren't you?"

"I try," she replied. "Come then, Hermes. I believe we should return to Olympus."

By the time they got back to the mountain of the gods, it was to land in front of Hera – who was looking _very_ pissed. "Eris," she hissed in rage. "How dare you-"

"How dare I what?" she asked. "Spread discord? I'm not sure if you've noticed, Hera, but spreading discord is what I do. You gave me twelve hours."

"Well you certainly have used them," Athena said. She was not sure if she was happy or not with Eris – war was her realm, after all, but so was wisdom. Wisdom told her that the mortals would benefit from peace. "It will be many years before what you have done can be fixed."

"Not my concern," Eris said. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have an eternity of boredom and luxury to return to."

"Your sister pushes a hard bargain," Athena said as Eris brushed past her. "But she will be confined once more once her condition is fulfilled."

"She is on Themyscira now?" Eris asked.

Athena nodded.

Eris knew what her twin would have asked – exactly what she would have asked. She wondered if Skatha had the timing right, though. Eris had watched the mortal from afar for many years now, and annoyingly he was always utterly aware of the words he used, knew exactly what the consequences would be. A creator of order. And unless the connection to the Amazon had gotten considerably stronger, Skatha would find herself disappointed.

---

"Watchtower to Superman."

Superman nodded sadly to Matthew Porter's mother. Her grief seemed beyond words, but her face was stricken. "Excuse me a moment."

He left through the front door, leaving Shayera and Wally with the family. "Superman here."

"There is a problem in the Middle East," J'onn's voice said. "The peace negotiations have broken down, and missiles are being fired at-"

"Damn," Superman cursed. "This is not what we need. Ok, I'll grab Hawkgirl and Flash. Any other members that are free get them there too. We need to stop those missiles until the leaders re-commence the ceasefire."

"Yes, Superman. Green Lantern and I are on our way too."

"Good, meet you there. Superman out."

Clark went back inside, his expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, guys. But we're needed in the Middle East." He looked at Porter's mother. "Once again – I'm so very sorry."

She nodded waveringly. "T-thank you. F-for bringing me…" She broke down into sobs, and Flash embraced her quickly. Each League member carried two communicators with them at all times, and Flash pulled out his spare one, and pressed it into her hand.

"You need me, you call alright?"

She nodded and gave a watery smile. "Thank you, Flash."

The three heroes left. Superman took off immediately, Flash running after him at top speed as well. "I'll take the Javelin then, shall I?" Hawkgirl asked no one in particular. Grinding her teeth, she got into the jet and left for the Middle East.

When she got there – admittedly less than ten minutes later – it was a total warzone. Not anything she wasn't used to, but it was still saddening. Just a few days ago this area had been so close to peace. Dodging the missiles, she set the Javelin down and ran out. Above her, Superman, J'onn and GL were busy catching missiles. Clark grabbed one with a slight grunt as it impacted against his body, then set it gently on the ground. Shayera flew over, opening the panel on the side in order to disarm it. Since the Joker's attack on Las Vegas, Batman had insisted that all League members went on an explosive-disposal course, just in case. It was the simple work of a minute to render this one harmless, and then a second about a hundred yards past that.

However, she couldn't stop, since John was guiding another one down just feet away. There was a scarlet blur, and Flash was disarming it. "Sure could use Bats down here, huh?"

"Yeah," Clark's voice groaned from above them. "Could use Diana up here too."

---

"Dance with me?" she asked hopefully, hoping that he wouldn't detect the tremble in her voice.

Bruce surprised both of them and nodded. Still holding his hand, she moved into the middle of the room as the song changed to _What A Wonderful World_. He put one hand on Diana's waist, the other taking her hand. She slid one hand up his arm to settle on his shoulder. He brought her closer, until their bodies were pressed lightly together, Diana's cheek warm and smooth against his face. It wasn't really dancing according to a complicated pattern of steps, only turning slowly on the spot.

_It's just a dance_, Diana thought. _We've danced before. Why does this feel so…intimate? _

Telling her inner voice to shut up, Diana closed her eyes and moved her hand to the back of his neck. If she hadn't already been in his arms, she would definitely have collapsed into them when he started to sing along to the words. Ever so quietly, and so low she almost couldn't hear it, and so sexily that every nerve ending in her body began tingling in response to it. She wondered if he even knew he was doing it.

"I see skies of blue…and clouds of white…the bright blessed day…the dark sacred night…and I think to myself…"

She shifted slightly, leaning back a little bit but not leaving his arms, transfixed by how close his lips were. She wasn't aware of singing herself. "What a wonderful world…" Diana finished.

Without either of them deciding to, they stopped, neither of them breathing. It took all Diana's strength to look up from his mouth, and when she spoke, her voice trembled. "Bruce?"

He meant to let go of her. He meant to switch the music off. He meant to step away.

But when she breathed his name, _millimetres_ away from his mouth, those things were not what he found himself doing. The arm around her waist tightened a little more. The hand still holding hers loosely let go of it to slide up her bare arm, and then, God help him, into her hair. "Diana…"

A shiver raced through her, and her lips, agonisingly slowly, opened. The hand holding her jaw tilted her head up ever-so-slightly. He leaned forward, and their mouths met, the merest brushing of lips. A lightning strike. Quick, electric and dazzling. As soon as he did it, he pulled back, pressing his forehead against hers and suddenly feeling dizzy. It wasn't a feeling he was used to, balancing on the brink of a knife-edge, feeling as if the whole universe was waiting to see what he'd do next. A pendant in time that could swing either way. But, in the end, it wasn't Bruce who made the decision. Diana wound her arms around his neck a little more tightly, and kissed him. It felt like a white-hot brand pressed against his lips; suddenly they were fused at the mouth. Everything about the embrace was…perfect. Diana deepened the kiss, then revelled in the groan that was her reward as it escaped Bruce when she coaxed his tongue into a gentle dance.

Unbidden, a memory floated to the fore of his mind. He'd been six years old, his father was reading to him. The family holiday that year had been a skiing trip to Aspen, and the book full of glossy, idyllic pictures of the mountains. One had been of an avalanche.

_The young Bruce looked up with a worried frown. "There aren't going to be any of them while we're there, right, Dad?" _

_His father had smiled. "No, there aren't. We're going in the wrong season for that." _

_The boy nodded thoughtfully. "What causes avalanches?" _

"_Loud sounds, heavy snowfall. It could be a little thing, like a rock falling in the wrong place." _

"_And an avalanche is just snow, right?" _

"_That's right, Bruce." _

Turned out, his father was wrong. Avalanches weren't just snow. But they were caused by little things. And he was experiencing his own personal avalanche, caused by one thing.

Bruce was totally, and completely, and irrevocably in love with this woman.

With that glorious revelation, every part of him, from playboy to Bat, from philanthropist to child, became, for one blinding second, entire.

And every single wall, every single barrier, every single obstacle…all came tumbling down.

---

**A/N: Ok, so what did you think? Not Bruce-enough? Let me know!**


	14. Consequences

**A/N: Short chapter again, sorry! Oh, and bad language here! You have been warned! **

**Chapter Fourteen – Consequences**

Diana knew the instant it happened. It was not the same as the simple realisation of her own feelings clicking into place. This was…more shocking. More stunning. More…indescribably wonderful. This was like falling and flying at once. She pulled back from the kiss just to look at him. Blue eyes met blue as she searched his gaze, seeing what her heart told her. What she found there almost made her knees buckle.

"_Bruce_…" she whispered, before running her fingers through his black hair again and pulling him back to her lips. The kiss was harder this time, less hesitant, less exploratory and more driven, more passionate and sure. Suddenly she was the Amazon champion again; a woman strong and confident, a woman who knew that what she desired was hers, that her claim on her love could never be challenged or disputed. A woman marking her territory. _He belonged to her_. From the way his fingers tightened in her hair, his arm around her waist now a steel band pinning her to him – Bruce felt exactly the same way about her.

She knew he did, she could feel his love for her burning, right there in her heart and feeding her own flames of passion. Hera, how had he ever been able to _block _it – this man held more emotion than anyone else she'd felt before. Why, by Olympus, had it ever been dangerous? All he felt for her was love. There wasn't any pain anymore, any doubt or fear. He was in love, and relieved because of that.

On his part – if he hadn't been busy trying to kiss Diana senseless – Bruce would have been grinning like a loon. Part of him recognised how ridiculously out of character that was, but even that part didn't care. Could this completeness really come from one emotion? He wasn't one to play games of chance, to gamble with the direction his life took, or even to hope. The kind of love other people had, the kind of love his parents had had – that was far beyond his grasp. Until now he hadn't wanted to grasp for it. Until now, it wasn't a risk worth taking. Not for Diana. Diana deserved someone whole.

And it didn't seem possible…but now…he was.

He drew back to breathe, but chose to breathe in Diana's scent, burying his face in her hair. _Was this how you felt, Dad? Was this how it felt when you found Mom?_ Grief washed over him – just another question to add to an endless list of questions he'd never get to ask. Somewhere, now buried deep under the love he felt for Diana, an alarm bell began to ring. Mourning for his parents was a step to accepting their deaths. Accepting their deaths meant that there could be no more Batman – that raw edge of anger and rage would be gone. He hated that he couldn't grieve without sacrificing that. When he pulled back a little more, it was to see tears in Diana's eyes – and it hit him.

J'onn's words came back with chilling accuracy. _Very strong emotions will break it. _

Oh God. Diana could feel his emotions. Afraid of hurting her, Bruce swiftly let go – and saw his fear hurt her anyway.

Unable to bear his fear and concern, as well as her own fear, Diana reached out, grabbing his hands. "Bruce, don't-" She broke off as a piercing pain hit her between the eyes, gradually increasing. _Oh Hera not now. Please not now. _It was coming back, encroaching on her mind like a storm. She was standing on a beach watching a tsunami race toward her and powerless to stop it. While she could still talk, was still lucid, Diana took his face between her hands, kissed him again. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she swallowed the sob that built. How could one person hold so much pain and still be able to stand upright?

"This is not your fault," she said, as clearly as she could manage with six billion emotions flying at her all at once. "Bruce, this is not your fault."

She couldn't stop the tears anymore, and sobbing, she tried to tell him she loved him, tried to stay standing and not fall her to knees. She knew he'd blame himself, but was beyond knowing how to stop that from happening. Was beyond knowing that the ice under her was cold. Was beyond knowing anything apart from the pain. Her hands went up to her head, gripped her hair and ripped strands out by the handful.

Heart breaking for her, and knowing that that fact would only hurt her more, Bruce knelt too, taking her hands and disentangling them as gently as possible. As soon as he did, though, she began scratching at her chest – hard, and her fingernails left bloody gouges in her flesh. Quicker than Bruce could move, she did it again, and he swore he saw bone. Knowing that another desperate grab would reach her heart, and not seeing another choice, he hit the pressure point on her neck to knock her unconscious.

With a sigh of what sounded like relief, Diana passed out, her body relaxing and falling backward. Bruce caught her before she hit the floor. Ignoring the tears that were rolling down his cheeks, he lifted his hand to activate his comlink. His voice was perfectly steady when he spoke, the Bat easily taking over. "Batman to Watchtower."

Static.

In his arms, Diana let out a quiet sob in her unconscious state. Bruce tried again. "Batman to Watchtower!"

Finally, J'onn's voice came over the link, broken and wavering. "-chtower to Batma- unications down- are you re-iving?"

"Barely," he answered. "But Diana is worse again – the empathy is back. Have her goddesses located Skatha yet?"

"-es," J'onn answered. "-ou need to ta- -er to Themysci- Are you reci-"

"Batman out," he said brusquely. Shifting Diana slightly so that he could support her body with both hands, he stood up and carried her through the Fortress in exactly the same way he had when they'd arrived. Damn it, she was supposed to be safe here, she was supposed to get better – and the only fucking thing that had changed was that he'd made things, quite literally, six billion times worse.

Placing her gently in the seat of the Javelin, he powered up the engines as quickly as possible and out of the Fortress, heading as fast as the engines could take them toward Themyscira.

As they passed by Europe, Diana screamed all the way.

---

"Hippolyta's not going to like that," Shayera commented. J'onn had just told them about the garbled transmission he'd received from Batman. "The goddesses told her that Diana was in safe hands with Batman."

"I am certain that whatever triggered her relapse it was not anything Batman could have prevented," J'onn replied.

"And he's not going to like that," Flash commented.

The seven of them had gotten back to the Watchtower once the ceasefire had been called again in the Middle East, tired and ready for bed. At the transmission they'd received, however, the worry for Diana had come flooding back. Shayera was tapping her fingers worriedly on the surface of the table, Flash was jiggling his legs nervously and Superman was biting his lip slightly.

John spoke. "Should we…"

"Bad idea," Shayera said. "If Hippolyta's going to freak out with one man on the island, Lord only knows what she'd do if all four of you turn up."

Superman began to protest. "But Diana-"

"Has Batman with her," she said firmly. "Even if we all went, we couldn't do anything for her. We'd only hurt her more until it's done. The goddesses have Skatha, and they're going to make sure that she lifts the curse on Diana. Then when they do, she'll be fine and we can all jump on her once she's back in the Watchtower."

Her matter-of-fact tone caused them all to smile weakly. "I'm up for that," Flash grinned, raising his hand.

"Then we're agreed?" John asked. "We're staying here?"

There was a pause as everyone nodded.

Then Flash spoke. "So we're going, right?"

---

Batman didn't set the Javelin down where he normally would have. Something told him not to, and he was too worried and anxious about Diana to be suspicious about where the impulse came from. As long as he got Diana to help, it didn't matter. He'd made it quicker than even he thought possible – from the Arctic to Themyscira in less than fifteen minutes. However, Diana would be waking up within moments, and he had no sedative left in his utility belt. Her screaming had ceased once they were over the Atlantic, but still she was clearly in pain, tossing her magnificent head from side to side and moaning in agony.

Bruce had spent the journey letting his guilt feed his anger. If Diana's gods had Skatha, why the hell hadn't they made her remove the curse? Why make Diana come to Themyscira? Goddesses or not, when he got hold of them…

He set the Javelin down on a small patch of sand at the back of the island, deserted by buildings apart from one small temple-like structure. At its entrance stood the solitary figure of a woman in white robes.

Like the knowledge of where to land, the knowledge that Hippolyta would be waiting had also simply been delivered into his brain. When he strode down the ramp, Diana in his arms, the queen's face was like thunder – but recognising the identical look on his face, she didn't waste time berating him.

"This way," she said tersely.

He followed swiftly, watching the queen shoot increasingly worried looks at her daughter. She seemed to be actively biting her tongue – and when they got to the temple, she strode inside. The woman waiting in the centre was treated to two chilling glares. She was evidently a goddess; her bearing said that much, along with the glower she shot back to them. Any further study was cut short when Diana stirred again in his arms, her eyes flickering open. Hippolyta crossed to them quickly.

"Diana!"

The concern emanating from the queen was so palpable that even Bruce could feel it, and it was enough for Diana to cry out in pain. She spasmed in his arms; to keep from dropping her, Batman, firmly in control – a survival tactic that at the moment Bruce needed – crouched.

Now fully awake, Diana went back to sobbing and trying to claw her heart out. Batman grabbed the metal bracers and held her fast. If she'd been lucid, there was no way he'd be able to prevent her, but in her weakened state she was no stronger than any other woman.

"Mortal."

He looked up at the goddess, holding out an imperious hand. "What?" he growled.

"Come."

"There's no fucking way I'm leaving Diana," he spat.

"You must," she said. "The bargain has been made on you. If you do not come with me now, the princess will be forever cursed."

"Go," Hippolyta said. "I am capable of taking care of my daughter."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second, then nodded. "Hold her wrists. She'll rip her heart out if you let go." He transferred the woman he loved carefully into the arms of her mother, then got up and stalked toward the goddess. She nodded sombrely and led him forward a few more steps, then down a spiral staircase cut into the floor that he hadn't seen before. Diana's cries of pain followed him like some horrific verbal shadow. The goddess in front of him – Hera, he deduced – quickened her pace.

Eventually they reached a dungeon-like chamber – with a woman chained with gleaming silver manacles to the wall. She stood upright and proudly, her eyes narrowed in hate at Hera. When Batman came into view, however, her mouth stretched into a cold, evil smile, eyes glittering poisonously.

"Ah…the mortal."

"Skatha," Hera hissed. "Undo this curse."

"Not until he asks me nicely," Skatha sneered.

Bruce took one step forward, and Skatha's smile faltered slightly. It seemed she knew that she wasn't going to get her begging. "Do it," he ordered, more force in his voice than Hera could have ever managed.

"Do what, exactly?" she asked. She tilted her head to the side, listening.

As if on cue, another scream echoed down, torturing his heart as badly as it was torturing Diana's. "Damn it, just stop her _feeling _it all!" he yelled.

Skatha grinned. "Done."

---

Up the stairs, Diana's head was pillowed on her mothers arms, Hippolyta keeping up a low litany of prayer and flinching with every sound her daughter made. Suddenly, mid-scream, and with her eyes squeezed shut – Diana stopped.

She shut her mouth.

She opened her eyes.

She sat up, expecting to feel relief that it was gone.

She didn't.

She felt nothing.

---

**A/N: I imagine a lot of people want to cause my physical harm right about now…leave me my fingers! I need them to type! Review please and butcher me verbally if you must! **


	15. Numb

**A/N: Another short chapter, but again it was the right place to end it. Hope you enjoy!**

**Chapter Fifteen – Numb**

It was an odd sensation, feeling your heart break. It had been so long since it had happened, that Bruce had forgotten what it felt like. For decades, his heart hadn't been whole in order for it to break. And it had been whole for thirty, glorious seconds – and then it had broken all over again. It wasn't the emotional pain that surprised him; he was no stranger to that, but it was the physical pain that was startling. Literally like having his ribcage smashed open and his cardiac muscle crushed. By Diana's hand.

Reaching the top of those stairs had officially been the second worst experience of Bruce's entire life. Worse, even, than losing Jason – because Diana was lost, and she _wasn't_. He didn't even need her to say anything to know that what he'd done had destroyed her far more effectively than Skatha's curse had managed.

When the screaming had stopped, Bruce hadn't paused, instead leaving the chamber and climbing as quickly as humanly possible without a second glance to the two goddesses. He barely registered Hera's strangled sounds of rage. He didn't, couldn't, miss her telling Skatha that she'd be confined to the pits of Tartarus for all eternity.

"You will pay for this, Skatha!"

The smug grin was evident in the voice of the other goddess. "Not as much as the mortal will."

That made him speed up. Heart pounding not from the quick ascent, Bruce got to the top of the stairs and saw what he was dreading.

Diana was standing upright, tall and straight. She had one hand over the wounds on her chest, examining them with no apparent concern. At the sound of his footsteps, she looked up. Her face was utterly emotionless, blue eyes dead. "It's over," she said, voice smooth and mechanical.

That was it, right there. Those two words just about summed everything up.

He managed a nod, but knew he couldn't speak.

"Praise be to Hera," Hippolyta whispered. She made to embrace her daughter, but a voice spoke from outside before the queen could notice that Diana wasn't hugging back. "My queen!"

Hippolyta actually gave a grateful smile to Batman, which he couldn't return, before leaving the building. There were two Amazons on horseback waiting outside, with another horse between them. "My queen, another ship has arrived on the island. It is the Justice League – and there are four men with them. We have them surrounded, but-"

"They are no threat," Diana interrupted. "They have only come to ascertain my welfare."

The Amazon looked at Hippolyta in askance. The queen nodded and walked to her horse, mounting easily. "Then come. We will tell them together you are well."

The three horses wheeled and began galloping toward the other side of the island. Diana lifted slightly into the air, but then realised that Batman wasn't following. "Aren't you coming?" she asked in a manner that did not indicate she cared.

Bruce heard himself answer like he was listening from outside a room. "No. I'll return the Javelin to the Watchtower."

She gave no response, but flew after her mother in a perfectly straight line, not looking anywhere except straight ahead. Bruce watched her for as long as he could bear – which was about five seconds. Climbing into the Javelin, he fired up the engines and took off. He didn't remember blinking or breathing all the way up into the stratosphere, or entering the access codes for the Watchtower, or getting out of the jet. In fact, it wasn't until he materialised in the Cave that he even registered – again with numb surprise – he'd moved at all. Then he stopped.

Sat down on the Cave floor.

Removed his cowl.

Buried his face in his hands.

_Diana_.

How- How-

No. It didn't matter how. It didn't matter why. It just was. It would be a simple shift, surely, from pretending twenty hours a day to pretending twenty four. He'd just…rebuild those walls that had fallen at the moment of falling in love with Diana. Not difficult. Not painful. Not crippling.

When Alfred's feet in their too-highly polished black shoes stopped in front of him, Bruce didn't even bother raising his head. Alfred, bless him, did not ask what had happened, and only hauled Bruce to his feet with a strength that was surprising for a man his age. Once he'd sat him down in his chair, Alfred pressed a glass of scotch into his hand. "Drink."

Bruce tossed it back, the burn of the alcohol making his throat sting. "Curse is broken," he managed.

"You do not seem to be happy about it, sir."

He was silent for a moment, then spoke, keeping the emotion out. "I screwed up, Alfred."

"How so, Master Bruce?"

"Diana, she's…" What was the right word? Cold? Emotionless? "Numb," he said. "The empathy was removed, but as a consequence she doesn't feel anything. She doesn't…" He swallowed hard, forcing the sob back before it could develop. _Love me_. The ultimate irony. He'd pushed her away, he'd refused to acknowledge her feelings and his, he'd consistently ignored the possibility that they could be more…and his reward had been the woman he loved basically dying. A Diana with no emotion…was just a machine. A beautiful, pitiless, flawless machine – perfectly built for killing.

Suddenly a rogue Superman didn't seem like such a problem. Diana wouldn't kill for now, because she knew she shouldn't – but now she had no compassion, no mercy, no guilt to stop her. If she deemed it the best course of action to protect the greater good…

Alfred was silent for a long time before he finally spoke – not for the first time, Bruce wondered numbly what was going on in his surrogate father's head. He couldn't bring himself to look up though, to see the condemnation in the Englishman's eyes. Or compassion. That would be infinitely worse.

"There is nothing to be done?" Alfred asked finally.

Bruce shook his head. "I've…" Despite his best efforts, his voice carried the grief he'd been suppressing for the last thirty years, forced to the fore by the loss of Diana. He didn't allow the moisture suddenly gathering in his eyes to fall. "I've killed her."

---

It was odd.

Diana _knew _she shouldn't have flown away from Bruce, _knew _that he loved her – but for the life of her – she didn't understand why she didn't care. Nor did she feel the urge to let her curiosity run. The memory of falling in love with him…was like watching a movie. She saw it all happen, knew it had happened to her and at the time it had seemed like the most important thing in the world – now it wasn't. Now it meant nothing. He meant nothing.

Nor did seeing her friends. It should mean something that they all came to Themyscira to see that she was alright now. But as Flash engulfed her in a hug, and Shayera and Superman right after him, she couldn't hug back. She just stood there, arms by her sides waiting patiently until they stopped. Flash, being Flash, didn't really notice, just too busy beaming and babbling away about how happy he was she was alright.

It wasn't until Superman hugged her that any of them realised things weren't the way they were supposed to be. "Are you alright?" he asked, drawing back a little.

"I'm fine," she answered automatically.

"Is the empathy gone?" he said, frowning at her. She didn't look like Diana. She didn't _stand _like Diana. And where was Bruce? What the hell had happened?

"It's gone," she said. "Batman broke the curse."

"Where is he?" Shayera asked.

"He took the Javelin back to the Watchtower," she replied.

"We should also return J'onn said.

"Alright," she agreed.

It wasn't until Shayera put a hand on Diana's shoulder to stop her that she even remembered to say goodbye to her mother. Diana turned, bowed to her queen, and walked up the ramp onto the Javelin. The other five heroes looked at each other, stunned. One by one, they followed her onto the ship. Sat in the pilot seat, Diana could see Hawkgirl staying behind to exchange a few words with Hippolyta. She looked upset.

Diana powered up the engines.

Outiside, Shayera noted the brief flash of anguish that crossed Hippolyta's face. "What the hell happened?" she wondered out loud.

"At least she is no longer in pain," the queen said, in a voice honed for thousands of years not to show emotion. She couldn't stop it from wavering a little.

"We'll take care of your daughter," Shayera promised.

Finally Hippolyta tore her eyes away from Diana's blank expression. "If that is my daughter," she said.

---

**A/N: Good? Bad? On the count of three – everyone give Bruce a hug! And don't worry – this is NOT the end. More to come, I promise!**


	16. Magic Always Has A Price

**A/N: Yeah…just warning you now…you're going to hate me by the time you reach the bottom…**

**Chapter Sixteen – Magic Always Has A Price **

**Two weeks later**

It had been easier than Bruce thought it would be. The only thing that had changed now was the fact that his nightmares had altered slightly. Now, Joe Chill stepped from shadows, and gunned down his parents. Then Diana smashed her fist through his skull, and Bruce woke up with his hand stretched out to stop her. If it really had been Chill she'd killed, he doubted he'd have been as horrified. But it was the fact that her killing was a possibility all too real now. And then she'd be beyond redemption.

And he had to find some way to redeem her. He had to.

Not that that was proving easy. During the day he had no choice but to do what he'd always done, with the exception of the half an hour he'd always allowed himself each day for meditation. Fifteen minutes in the morning, and fifteen minutes before he went out on patrol. It was the same routine he'd used every single day for twenty years. And it had never failed him. Until now.

Now, when he tried to empty his mind and calm himself, all that happened was Diana's beloved, blank face came to the front of his brain, lodging there as long as his eyes were closed, and refusing to leave. He'd stopped meditating after six days of this. As a result, anger and frustration were building up to dangerous levels. If he let this carry on then he'd end up letting his guard down and getting injured, or worse, killing someone. It needed to stop. It should be easy. It wasn't.

He'd gone past denial now; he missed Diana. He missed her smile, he missed her hair, he missed her voice – oh God how he missed her voice. He missed the _possibility_ of Diana. For a moment, he'd seen a golden future of waking up in the morning to her face, of coming home after watching over his city to find rest in Diana's arms. They could have been so much.

Thankfully, the League hadn't needed him on any missions yet, so he hadn't been forced to acknowledge that that future was gone utterly. He could still pretend. Even if it wasn't fooling anyone, least of all himself. Still, he was beginning to believe the old adage that said love was the most powerful force of all. His brain knew that the playboy needed to carry on as he always had. His heart wouldn't let him. Bruce Wayne hadn't been to any parties, opening galas or charity balls in a fortnight. All those things meant getting a date, being close to a woman and dancing. All of those things now meant Diana. They always would mean Diana. And if she really was dead, if _his _Diana was never coming back – then it would be an utter betrayal of her.

But even Bruce didn't realise how bad it had gotten until sixteen days after the curse had been broken. The Joker was planning a bank robbery – even psychotic clowns needed funding somehow. Batman contacted Nightwing for backup, and the two of them set out from the Cave almost as soon as it got dark. The Joker could hit any one of half a dozen banks, and Batman wasn't a hundred percent sure which one it was going to be – but it was an easy enough job to follow Harley, since he knew that she'd always go wherever the Joker was.

It was simple enough to take down the guards and lackeys that the Joker had placed around the bank. As the last one hit the floor with a muffled thud – taken down by Dick – Batman motioned silently to him. The message was clear: _get the police, I'll take down the Joker_.

Dick nodded and left like a shadow. Batman moved forward. The Joker did not look happy to see him. "Oh Batsey, you're no fun. Can't you just let me have this one little bank? Even I have to eat, you know."

"Food's free in prison."

The Joker pulled out a gun; Batman snatched it out of his hand, threw it over his shoulder and punched the clown. He flew back about six feet.

"Mistah J!"

Harley was at his side in less than a second, helping him up. The Joker only looked irritated. "Oh go away, you stupid woman."

Even Harley looked a little upset at that. Sure, she was as crazy was the Joker, but also definitely not stupid. "Hey," she started, hands on her hips. "You could be a little nicer, you kno-"

She cut off as the Joker casually backhanded her.

Bruce lost it.

No matter what else she might be, Harley Quinn loved the Joker. And he treated her like that?

By the time Nightwing and the police got there – less than a minute later – the Joker was unconscious, and in the process of having most of his teeth forcibly removed by Batman's fist. Harley was cowered in a corner, her lip split and looking utterly terrified.

Dick's mouth fell open. Thinking fast, he grabbed Bruce and hustled him away from the Joker before the police could enter and see Batman trying to kill the clown. Deciding it wasn't as if the Joker would be running away anywhere, Dick dragged his adoptive father out of the building and then pointed his grappling hook at the nearest skyscraper. Bruce seemed to have gone limp with rage, and wasn't struggling. Neither was he cooperating, though.

Now on the roof of the fifty-seven floor tower, Dick let go of Bruce. "What the hell is the matter with you?" he demanded.

"Nothing," Batman growled.

"Nothing?" his son repeated incredulously. "Nothing?! You almost killed the Joker. I wouldn't call _that_ nothing!"

"Forget it."

"No," Dick said flatly. "If something's going on with you, you need to let me know. You're no good to Gotham like this."

"I'm _fine_. And leaving."

Dick grabbed his wrist before he could fire his grapple gun. "Batman." They were out in the open, so it had to be Batman, but they both heard what he really meant. _Bruce. Dad. Don't shut me out. Let me help. _

Bruce thought of Diana's words. _It isn't weakness to accept comfort from a friend. _"Thanks for your help. You can go back to Bludhaven whenever you like," he said dully.

Leaving an extremely frustrated Nightwing on the roof, Batman disappeared into the shadows, heading home. Despite brushing him off, Dick had a point. Cardinal rule – you did not _ever_ lose your temper. And Bruce couldn't even see his. Heading back to the Cave, he still wasn't calming down, instead driving at reckless speeds through the streets of Gotham, slamming the brakes on at the last possible moment once approaching the Cave.

Out of the car, he sat at the computers and silently thanked his lucky stars that the Joker had turned the security cameras off in the bank. He really did not need images of Batman brutally beating the Joker splashed across every news station in America. For a few minutes more, Bruce silently questioned what the hell he was doing. It was getting too much now. _God, Dick's right. I am no good like this. _

It wasn't possible. There wasn't one single rational explanation why one woman should be the cause of this – or one emotion. The _most _stupid thing was that he knew if he could just have Diana, if he could just hold her or kiss her…all of it would go away. He'd be able to sleep. He'd be able to think. He might actually _want _to eat.

How had this _happened_? How could he go, in the space of one minute, from not needing anyone to being utterly dependent on her?

At a sudden flare of light, Bruce looked up, frowning.

The frown turned into a glare. Hera, Queen of the gods herself, was standing in the middle of the Cave.

---

Shayera had been spending a lot of time with Zatanna lately. The two women had never been close, and in fact had barely spoken two words to each other bar a quick 'hello' every now and then. But since Shayera's best friend had overnight become the most terrifying thing she'd ever come across, the Thanagarian had found herself becoming increasingly friendly with the witch.

Even having Diana hate her after the invasion she hadn't been scared. She was Hawkgirl; she didn't _get _scared. She got angry, and she got violent, but she didn't get scared. Until she looked into Diana's eyes and saw nothing. Like a mirror – all Shayera saw was her own thoughts reflecting back. No inkling as to what Diana was thinking. It was like seeing a living, breathing corpse looking at her. Diana's skin was warm to the touch, she was just as beautiful as she'd ever been – but it was the beauty of death now. There was nothing radiant about her. Just inexorable. Just destructive. Just inevitable. Not something you wanted to get too close too.

And curse the hormones, but Shayera missed her. She missed her so much – there was no one to moan about how irritating Wally was occasionally, no one to gossip about wedding plans with, no one to bounce baby-name ideas off. The idea of asking Wonder Woman (she wasn't Diana anymore) to be her maid of honour or godmother to her children was repulsive. She'd sooner take on Luthor, Grodd, Braniac and Darkseid on alone. As well as the Injustice Gang.

She'd originally gone to Zatanna to ask if there was anything that could be done to help Wonder Woman. Zatanna had promised to look into it, and since then they'd been meeting for coffee and had discovered that Diana had, in fact, been their common link. Zatanna hated Wonder Woman as much as Shayera did.

"I honestly can't think of anywhere else to check," Zatanna moaned over lunch one day. "There's nothing about removal of emotions in any book I've found, and no one on the mystic Ethernet has anything. Not even my usual magic supplier – though he did try and convince me that a Manticore tooth would help." She sighed and gave the redhead next to her a sad smile.

The cafeteria doors opened again, and Wonder Woman came in, took a tray and sat alone, eating calmly.

"I just…I don't think I can stand it," Shayera said. "It's as though there's some other woman in her body. Not even Superman looks her in the eyes anymore."

"I was thinking…maybe J'onn could help? Like look into her mind and see if there's anything. It's possible that she's just suppressing-"

"No," Shayera interrupted. "He told me he'd tried that already. Said it was like looking into the mind of a robot. Just…thoughts, in perfectly logical patterns. There's nothing, Zatanna." Wiping angrily at the tears that filled her eyes, Shayera glared at Wonder Woman. She happened to look up and gaze back for a few moments. Nothing. Not even anger that she was being stared at.

Standing up, Zatanna pushed her chair under. "I have to go. Monitor duty."

Shayera followed suit. "Yeah, I'll go too-" She cut off with a cry, pain stabbing through her abdomen. She doubled over, barely hearing Zatanna call her name in alarm. Just before she passed out, Shayera felt warm liquid seeping from between her legs. She looked down, saw the blood, then everything went black.

---

Slowly, Bruce stood up and waited, his gaze demanding that she explain herself.

"I mean you no harm," she said.

Bruce repressed the urge to snort. The way he was feeling at the moment, she was in far more danger from him. "What do you want?"

"First, to apologise. What Skatha did to Diana is unacceptable. I am sorry."

He did snort then, bitterly. "You're sorry? That makes everything better than, doesn't it? You're sorry?!"

Hera watched him calmly for a moment more. "You love her."

"Have you seen her? There's nothing _to _love," he spat.

"I have come to offer my help," she said. "It is possible that I can undo what Skatha did."

"How?" he asked swiftly. As he spoke, though, he realised there was a bigger question. "If you can help her, why come to me?"

"Because it is Diana's soul that is gone. If I am to restore it, I need a focus point. And all Diana's emotions – before they were taken – focused on you."

"You still haven't answered my question," he said bluntly.

Hera had the good grace to look as ashamed of herself as a goddess could. "No. There is the matter of cost."

"Magic always has a price."

"Indeed. And recreating a soul…the cost will be great."

"Whatever it is, I'll pay it," he said immediately.

"Were it your soul I was creating, yes, you would," she agreed. "But it is not, and Diana is the one who must pay it. But you are the one who must decide."

His fists clenched, foreboding inching up his spine. He knew whatever she said next he was not going to like. "What's the price?" he asked, eyes closed.

There was a brief pause before Hera answered, which gave every muscle in Bruce's body a chance to tense painfully. The words, when they came, made him flinch.

"Her immortality."

---

**A/N: I feel so mean! I'm sorry! I'm so so sorry, but this is the direction my muse led me! Review please! *sobs***


	17. Our Favourite Gothamite

**A/N: Well, here's chappie 17 – and we start with Shayera and John...**

**Oh, and the quote (I'll see if any of you get it) is from some Star Wars book or another - it is NOT mine.  
**

**Chapter Seventeen – Our Favourite Gothamite**

Neither Shayera nor John had spoken in at least an hour. All they did was grasp each others' hands, white-knuckled with the streaks of tears down their cheeks. Shayera was dressed in a paper-thin white gown, sitting in a bed in the medical bay. The news wasn't as bad as it could have been.

But it was bad.

Foetal intrautrine death.

One of their children was gone.

It wasn't common, apparently, but it did happen from time to time. They'd probably never know the exact reason it had happened – but then the exact reason didn't matter. All that mattered was that they'd lost one of their babies. Knowing that the other – as far as Doctor Thompkins could tell – was fine, was cold comfort.

Leslie had been beamed up to the Watchtower by J'onn, who though the most medically skilled person onboard, was no obstetrician. She'd confirmed J'onn's diagnosis that one of the foetuses still lived, but couldn't do anything more without her equipment. "You'll still need to come for a scan tomorrow," she said gently. "I have to check there's no damage and that the other foatus is still safe."

Shayera nodded. "Thank you, Doctor," she whispered.

J'onn accompanied the doctor to the transporters, both of them with grave expressions. They passed Wonder Woman coming the other way, her blank face still as cold as it had been since their return from Themyscira. It looked as though she'd just gotten back from a mission; her upper arm was burnt slightly.

"I imagine this is not the first such case you have come across," the Martian said.

"No," she answered sadly. "Though it's been many years since I've known it to happen. Poor John and Shayera. I can't imagine how they must feel."

J'onn kept silent. He did know how it felt to lose a child, and the pain of it never went away. His poor friends. He said goodbye to Leslie and began to make his way back to the Infirmary. On the way, a horrible thought struck him. Wonder Woman had been going in the same direction. If she'd gone into the medical bay…it was not something Shayera could take – having her best friend not care about their loss.

His fears were confirmed – when he entered, Wonder Woman was just leaving the Infirmary, a roll of gauze in her hand. She nodded calmly to him before leaving. J'onn went inside to see Shayera in her fiancé's arms, sobbing, her whole body shaking with it.

"I hate her…God, John, I hate her…"

---

Bruce wasn't known for being particularly loquacious. He'd even been described as a man of few words. But even so, it was at least a full minute before he could speak after Hera made her announcement. And even then he could only repeat what she'd said.

"Her _immortality_?!" he spluttered.

Hera nodded gravely. "Yes. In order to restore her soul, the cost is dear."

"You can't," he said. "The world needs Wonder Woman. It will _always _need Wonder Woman."

"If you truly believed that," she said, "then your struggle would be futile, and you would not fight so hard."

"We don't have to win," he said. "All we have to do is fight."

"A pretty line that I imagine works well on mortals," the goddess replied. "But conflict is pointless if there is no hope of victory. One day the world will not need Wonder Woman. And your love may spend the rest of her life with you – or return to Themyscira, and you both will be alone."

"So you're asking me to kill the woman I love?" he demanded.

"No," she said. "I am asking you to choose. And to make your choice easier, Apollo has agreed to show you the result of agreeing."

"The god of the Sun?" he questioned.

"And of prophecy," she confirmed.

Bruce turned away. "I don't need a prophet to tell me what a life with Diana would be like," he said bitterly.

"Then you must declare your choice."

He whirled back to her, fists clenched. "No."

"No?" she exclaimed, apparently totally nonplussed that he would simply refuse. "You wish her to remain like this?"

"Get out," he said suddenly.

Hera looked highly affronted, but Bruce didn't care. He stepped forward with a measured pace. "You want me to decide Diana's fate, without consulting her, without considering the fact that _billions_ of people rely on her for protection and without thinking about what her mother might want?"

"The decision must be yours," she said.

"Well make it someone else's," he snapped. "I…" He trailed off, the set of his mouth turning bitter in self-loathing. "I can't."

She reached up and removed a peacock feather from her elaborate headdress. Handing it to him, she put a hand on his shoulder. It was warm, but light, almost insubstantial. "Call for me. If you change your mind."

Looking at him with something like motherly disappointment in her face, Hera disappeared.

---

**One week later**

Clark was late for work. It would the third time this week – not that he could help it. Monday it was a forest fire in Australia, Tuesday a volcanic eruption on Sicily, and today was Thursday. And he'd overslept. _Not _that that was his fault. Lois had a day off, and had switched the alarm off.

Somehow he didn't think Perry was going to like that excuse.

He didn't, and spent fifteen minutes yelling at him about it. After he'd said, "Sorry, chief," for the millionth time, Perry let him go to his desk. To get to it, he had to pass by Kacey's desk, the gossip columnist for the _Planet_. He would have walked right past her desk without a second glance – except he did glance at it, and the main picture was a full-colour shot of Bruce Wayne. The headline was: _Prince of Gotham – Missing in Action?_

Clark stopped, putting an easy smile on his face. "Hey, Kacey."

She smiled. "Hi, Clark. No Lois today?"

"It's her day off. What are you working on?" he asked as casually as he could manage. Which wasn't casually at all.

She glanced at her screen. "Oh, that. Well, you know there was a new exhibition opening last night at the Metropolis Art Gallery? Bruce Wayne was supposed to be there – he'd confirmed and everything, but didn't show. And my sources in Gotham say he's just dropped off the radar. So I did a little digging," she said proudly.

"What did you find?" he grinned, trying not to sound nervous. This had something to do with Wonder Woman, it had to. But even Clark hadn't suspected it'd be this bad – Bruce was more paranoid about protecting his identity than everyone else in the League put together. Nothing short of a total meltdown in Gotham would make him let his daytime façade slide. Lord, what had _happened _in the Arctic?

Thankfully, the excited smile on Kacey's face faded a little. "Nothing much to be honest. Jessica thinks that he might have a new girlfriend he's romancing secretly."

"Jessica?"

"His personal secretary. We were in the same sorority in college."

"A secret girlfriend huh?"

"That's the angle I'm going with…but I don't buy it – Bruce Wayne _avoiding _publicity? Not his style."

Clark forced a laugh, and mumbled something about getting some coffee. As he walked away from Kacey though, a frown formed on his face. He could well understand why Bruce hadn't been to the Watchtower lately; Batman wasn't known for being a regular fixture anyway, but with Wonder Woman being the way she was…None of Diana's friends wanted anything to do with the creature wearing her skin – but it couldn't be that affecting Bruce so much…sure he was closer to Diana than most, but Diana wasn't in Gotham – there were no reminders of her there, surely? Had something happened in the Batclan that he wasn't aware of?

At the end of the day, Clark was no closer to working out why his friend would take such a risk. Deciding to fly to Gotham and check on the situation himself, Clark picked up a copy of the evening edition on the way. When Batman demanded to know why Superman was in his city – and he _would _– at least Clark would have something to say.

He read the article before setting off; it wasn't anywhere close to the truth, but it was Kacey's final sentence that worried him most.

_Whatever our favourite Gothamite is up to, the question remains on everyone's lips – just what is Bruce Wayne doing with his time nowadays? _

---

**A/N: I know I was vague on Bruce's reasons for refusing Hera's offer – but they will be discussed in the next chapter. Review please!**


	18. Unwinnable Arguments

**A/N: _I need your help with the next chapter_ – do you want to see Apollo's prophecies or not? To be honest I wasn't going to, but if people want to see them then I will happily write them in. I'm gonna need least 6 people to say yes though!**

**Happy reading!**

**Chapter Eighteen – Unwinnable Arguments**

Clark was barely in the air when J'onn's voice called him over his League communicator – something about stopping a terrorist attack on Edinburgh. There was some kind of incredibly complicated explosive that the Bomb Disposal Squad didn't have time to disarm, so Superman dutifully showed up, picked up the bomb (carefully), and deposited in an ocean trench in the Atlantic. Then was told that there was a hurricane about to hit Haiti, and that he was needed there, along with Flash and Captain Atom. Then it was an earthquake in Japan, and then _another _bush fire in Australia. By the time he was beamed to the Watchtower, Clark was sooty and dirty and tired. And still hadn't managed to get to Gotham.

J'onn was waiting to debrief them. After they'd finished, Superman motioned with his head to the Martian. It was possible he was overreacting, and he wanted a second opinion. They ended up in the cafeteria, J'onn as usual eating his Oreos and Clark with a black coffee.

"What is on your mind?" his friend asked.

"I don't suppose you've seen the evening edition of the _Planet_?" he asked.

"No, I'm afraid not."

Clark looked around; the cafeteria was almost deserted, and if he kept his voice down then no one would be able to hear them. "Bruce Wayne hasn't been seen in public for about three weeks," he said in a low tone. "And it's not like Batman to let something like that slip."

"True," the Martian agreed, munching. "Do you think something has happened in Gotham that we are unaware of?"

"That was my first thought as well," Superman said. "I was planning on going to Gotham and seeing if there was anything going on."

J'onn nodded thoughtfully. "A good idea." Then he hesitated slightly. "Have you seen Wonder Woman recently?"

"I'm trying not to," he admitted, heaving a sigh. "J'onn…it's like I've lost my two best friends. Diana's gone, Bruce is…Lord alone knows what Bruce thinks he's doing."

"Earlier, the communicator that Hawkgirl gave to Queen Hippolyta was activated. Wonder Woman is with her mother now. I did not want to leave them alone, but the queen was quite insistent."

"Oh. Doesn't sound good."

"No," J'onn agreed. "May I suggest that you perhaps visit Bludhaven before you go to Gotham? If something has happened, Nightwing may be more willing to discuss it than Batman."

"True." He got up, draining the last of his coffee. "Thanks, J'onn. I think I will go and see Nightwing."

He left the cafeteria, heading toward the transporters with a sigh. Looked like it was going to be a long night. Lois was going to kill him when he got home… A raised voice coming from up ahead made him quicken his pace. He turned the corner…and saw something quite unexpected.

Queen Hippolyta – pleading. Clark's heart went out to her; being around Diana was bad enough for him, Heaven knew what it must be like for her mother. Wonder Woman was walking calmly toward him, the queen just behind her. "Diana, please!"

Wonder Woman turned. "I do not believe there is anything more to say, Mother," she said flatly. "You should return to Themyscira."

Again, she turned away, and anger grew on Hippolyta's face. She grabbed Diana's shoulder, spinning her around again violently. What happened next occurred so fast that Clark almost missed it. Wonder Woman grabbed Hippolyta's wrist and twisted it around her back. Within seconds the queen was on her knees, her daughter still twisting. The sound of bones creaking reached Clark's ears, and he knew that any more and Hippolyta's arm would break. That wasn't the worst thing; Wonder Woman's face was utterly blank of emotion. She was only stopping an enemy.

He ran toward them, grabbing her hand and barely managing to prise her off. "Diana, what are you doing?"

"She attacked me," was the only reply. Simple, direct and to the point. Delivered in a dead voice. Before he could say another word, she was gone, heading back down the corridor.

Hippolyta ignored his hand and stood up, holding her arms rigidly in a posture than looked regal but must have been painful. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"I see now my efforts have been in vain," she answered, not looking at him. "My daughter is truly dead. Man's World has claimed her."

---

Dick knew Superman was there before Clark had said a word. It was disconcerting that there were two people in the world who could do that. Nightwing probably had the ability to disappear into thin air too.

"What do you want, Superman?" he asked, arms crossed and frowning.

Clark threw him the copy of the _Planet_. Not the original, since that had fallen into the ocean along with the bomb, but it still said the same thing. "Check the gossip column. People have started to notice Bruce Wayne's not around."

After a few moments, Dick closed the paper. "What do you want me to do about it?"

"I want you to tell me what's going on," he replied, checking to make sure they were alone. "It's not like Bruce to let that slide. Has something happened?"

There was a pause as Dick looked like he was figuring out what to tell him. "Truthfully…I have no idea. But something is going on – he won't tell me what. But last week he almost killed the Joker. I think he would have if I hadn't been there."

Clark raised his eyebrows, surprised. So if it wasn't something that had happened to Batman, or to the playboy…It had to be Diana. The wheels started turning faster than they had all day. Something _had_ happened in the Fortress, something which had shifted the dynamic between his two closest friends. In fact, Bruce was acting exactly the way he would…if Lois had died.

He groaned. "Oh the damn fool."

Dick frowned. "What?"

Clark turned to go, picking up the paper and preparing to fly off to Gotham. "I've got to go."

"Hey, Superman?"

Clark turned. "Yes?"

"Do what you can," Nightwing said. "I miss my father."

Clark nodded seriously. "Thanks for your help, Dick."

"Any…time," he said as Superman disappeared into the night sky in a flash of blue. He rolled his eyes. _Metas. _

---

Bruce wanted to tear his eyes out. They kept betraying him, flickering every three seconds to the peacock feather he couldn't throw away. He didn't _want _to keep looking at it – but it kept drawing his attention, mocking him with its possibilities. He'd even reached out to pick it up a few times. He hadn't, but glared harder at it each time, as if the force of his stare could reduce it to ashes. Every possible argument for and against taking Hera's offer had been running through his mind non-stop for the past week.

Diana – the real Diana – would have taken it. She'd have traded anything, as long as she didn't have to stay trapped in a prison of ice forever. She would have reminded him of what he was already painfully aware: that her immortality had been the biggest obstacle to them having a relationship. Take that away…

_No. _

A million times he'd pushed that thought aside. He knew precisely where it led. And if he let it lead him there, the decision would already have been made, and Diana was as good as dead. He'd killed her once. He couldn't do it again.

Up the stairs, Alfred's voice echoed. "Mr Kent is here to see you, sir."

Bruce frowned. Kent, not Superman. Therefore, he was here to talk to Bruce, not Batman. "Send him down, Alfred."

"Very good, Master Bruce."

A few moments later, Clark tossed the newspaper onto Bruce's keyboard. "We have a problem."

Bruce indicated one of the screens in front of him; the _Daily Planet's _website was up, the gossip pages highlighted. "I already know."

"The others will pick up on it too, Bruce," Clark warned.

"Did you come to lecture me, Kent?"

"No. I came to talk about Diana."

Bruce stilled, but didn't say anything. "Hippolyta came to see her. Diana almost broke her arm. She's gone, Bruce," he added. "She doesn't feel guilt, or anger, or joy. This was her _mother_, and she didn't even feel love."

Bruce stood suddenly. "What do you want me to do about it?" he asked in the voice of the Bat.

Clark crossed his arms, looking back stubbornly. "I want you to get over yourself and start looking for a way we can get Diana back. I want you to stop putting everything on hold while you wallow in self-pity. I _want _you to admit that you love her, because frankly I'm sick to my back teeth of watching you deny both yourself and her some chance at being happy!"

The Dark Knight only raised an eyebrow. "Finished?"

"Yeah," Clark replied defiantly.

"Good. Get out."

He folded his arms. "Make me."

There was a long and tense silence before Bruce spoke again. Then he motioned for Clark to sit down in the chair he'd just vacated, and began pacing. "I tried to find away to bring Diana back. Short of getting her cursed all over again – there's nothing. Second…" Ignoring Clark's second point, he moved on, taking a deep breath and preparing to say what he'd only recently admitted to himself. "Third…_yes_, I love her. And there's nothing I can do about it." He amended that silently. _Nothing I _will _do about it._

"What is that?" the Kryptonian asked, pointing at the feather. "You keep looking at it."

Bruce picked it up and cursed himself. "Hera came to me a week ago. She said she could restore Diana's emotions, but that the decision had to be mine. She told me that I could see the consequences before I made it."

Clark stood up. "And you said _no_?!"

Bruce turned around to face him again, fists clenched. "The price was her immortality. I'd have to _kill _her, Clark!"

"Making her mortal is not killing her, Bruce. Do you have any idea what I'd give to be able to grow old with Lois? Diana would feel exactly the same and you know it!"

"And do you have any idea what Lois would give to keep you alive forever?" he shot back. "Damn it, Clark, even if I do, how the hell am I supposed to be with her everyday knowing that I'm the reason she's slowly dying?"

"So that's what this is about? You feeling guilty for the rest of your life?!" Clark scoffed. "I know you, Bruce. You blame yourself for what's happened to her now – face it, no matter what decision you make, you're going to feel guilty. It's what you do best. At least you could be happy at the same time!"

"The world needs Wonder Woman. The League needs Wonder Woman."

"Well the world doesn't have Wonder Woman," Clark replied, "and neither does the League. We were on a mission a few days ago – bush fire in Australia – and Diana was helping fly people out. The fire was caused by arsonists. And rather than stop a kid from being burned to death, Diana went after them. She said it was for greater good. She didn't care that Flash had barely got to the kid in time. Does that sound like something Wonder Woman would do?"

"She has a point," Bruce said half-heartedly. Clark's glare was his answer, and he admitted his friend was right. "I still can't."

"Why not? Bruce, if you're worried about the future, just take the goddess's offer. See the future and then decide."

"No."

Clark didn't mean it to, but somehow his fist ended up embedded in the wall. "Explain," he said, voice choked with rage.

"I know exactly what the future holds if it's with Diana, Clark. And if I see it, I'll take it. Decision will be made. It's too dangerous," he persisted.

"For who?!"

They swapped positions again, and Bruce put his face in his hands. "It has to be for the right reasons, Clark. If I do this, it has to be because the world needs her. Not because I do."

Recognising when an argument with Bruce was unwinnable, Clark prepared to leave with a heavy heart. "And that?" he spat, indicating the paper.

Bruce had already gone back to the computer. "I'll take care of it."

---

On Sunday morning, reading the paper in bed, Clark tore it in half when he got to the society pages. Lois looked up from her coffee with a raised eyebrow. "And just what did the paper do to annoy you?"

He pointed, and her eyebrow quirked a little higher. The night before had been the thirtieth birthday of some celebrity or another – there'd been a huge party in the Metropolis Plaza. The picture was of a laughing, airheaded, ditzy blonde in a ridiculously low-cut dress, sporting fake breasts that looked as though she had two basketballs stuck on her chest. She was on the arm of Bruce Wayne, his playboy grin firmly in place.

The headline: _He's Back!_

---

**A/N: Still not the end! I imagine you must be getting rather impatient with me by now, but I'm getting there, I promise! 20 chapters is my goal! Review please! **


	19. Happy Birthday, Bruce

**A/N: There are gonna be a lot of time jumps going on here, but I don't think they're difficult to follow. "Cutting off your nose to spite your face" is an English saying, just type it into Google for a definition if you don't understand. **

**I guessed how old Bruce is, but if anyone knows for sure, let me know! Oh, and also Alfred. I'm guessing about 70, and no one drinks Earl Grey at age 12 no matter how cultured they are. Except maybe the queen. Before she was the queen, obviously, 'cause no one becomes Queen at 12 years old. I'm babbling. Shutting up now. Heh.**

**Chapter Nineteen – Happy Birthday, Bruce**

**One week later (A/N: I keep doing that, don't I?)**

Alfred sighed as he crushed the slice of lemon in his tea against the side of the cup. Earl Grey – always drunk black with lemon, never milk. It was the same way he'd started his day for the past fifty two years. The one moment of luxury he allowed himself: a cup of Earl Grey, and to watch the sunrise.

But today was a bad day.

Today was the day of Bruce Wayne's thirty ninth birthday. It wasn't the birthday Alfred had a problem with – last year's had actually been…pleasant. They'd just had a quiet, private dinner with the members of the Batclan. There had been a huge, socialite-filled party of course, but that, thankfully, had been held in the Gotham Ritz, and not in the manor. This year it was going to be in the manor. And all manner of crass, loud, shallow, _shiny_ people were going to invade the household that he kept clean and tidy. He had hoped that it would be different. But since Master Bruce had come back from the Arctic utterly heartbroken, Alfred barely recognised his not-so-young charge anymore. Worse, Bruce didn't seem to want to fight for _her_.

Alfred gave another sigh. Diana of Themyscira was the perfect match. Or had been.

And for the first time in his forty six years' service to the Wayne family, Alfred almost wanted to resign. If it hadn't been for Master Tim he might have done. There was no point in taking care of a family that had splintered. Taking a last sip of his tea, Alfred silently cursed whatever Fate had decreed that Bruce Wayne was never to be happy.

Putting the cup down with a decisive clink on the marble worktop, Alfred began making breakfast for Master Bruce. At Timothy's request, he did not make breakfast for him – when he moved into the manor, it had taken several appeals to Alfred, but eventually Alfred had merely stopped trying. Master Tim had once been a normal teenager, of course. Master Bruce had never had that particular advantage.

As he put china and silverware on the tray he'd carry up to the master bedroom, Alfred cast his eyes up to the heavens, uttering his annual apology. _I'm sorry he's not happy yet. _

---

Tim groaned as his alarm clock buzzed. He wasn't in a hurry to wake up any day, but today…

Today was a bad day.

At least he'd have Dick there tonight. Someone who was actually human to talk to, and not made out of plastic. Tim wondered if he'd be bringing Barbara too… Alfred would be rushed off his feet, of course, so there wouldn't be any rescue coming from there… Could he maybe fake the Batsignal? Bruce obviously couldn't go, but he and Dick might be able to slip away. Pushing the duvet back, Tim sat up, feeling marginally more cheerful. _Nothing like the prospect of escaping from a party _and _kicking ass to perk you up. _

Showering and dressing quickly, Tim jogged downstairs to get breakfast, passing Alfred on the way. "Morning, Alfred."

"Good morning, Master Tim. I trust you slept well?"

"Like a log," Tim grinned. "Tell the old man happy birthday from me, ok?"

"I shall do, Master Tim," Alfred said, continuing upward.

Tim bolted down his breakfast, grabbed some juice from the carton while Alfred was out of the room, then cursed as he looked at the clock. The bus would be at the gates in less than ten minutes, and it was a ridiculously long walk down the drive. He jogged all the way, getting there just in time, and clutching a stitch in his side.

By the time it got to fifth period, Tim was rethinking his stance on the party tonight being the worst possible thing in the world. He was facing double calculus, followed by his presentation on the fall of Troy in history, then gym, then art, and only _then _could he go home. Just in time to be pressganged by Alfred into cleaning the manor top to bottom, no doubt.

Still, the presentation went well, but he came out of that class thinking about Diana, and wondering when exactly Bruce would stop trying to cut of his nose just to spite his face. Obviously she wouldn't be there tonight, it would be impossible to explain. But still… Lost in his own thoughts, Tim walked into about half a dozen people without noticing, not even bothering to say hello to Laura, the girl he had a crush on.

Tim didn't pretend all the time. Neither did Dick. Sure, they had to balance the dual identities, but they still had time to just be themselves. It wasn't much time, but it was enough to keep them from going crazy.

Bruce seemed to have lost that. For weeks now, Tim hadn't had a father. He'd gone on patrol with Batman, or he'd seen the playboy going out to various gatherings – at least for the past week – and that was it. The bit in the middle was missing. He'd forgotten who his father was. In fact the last time they'd spent any real time together had been the evening Diana had stayed for dinner. He didn't know what had happened between the two of them in the Cave when Bruce said goodbye to her, but the billionaire had come back up the stairs _whistling_.

He delayed going back home as long as he could. School got out at 4:30, so Tim went to the library, to actually _do_ his homework. But it was easy, and only lasted for an hour or so. Taking out his cell phone, he dialled Dick's number.

"_Yes_, Tim, I'm still coming," he said by way of greeting.

"Well you better be," Tim said darkly. "There's no way I'm putting up with Maisy Evans telling me how cute I am and pinching my cheek again by myself."

"You could just throw her," Dick suggested.

"Yeah, that would go down well with Bruce I'm sure. Besides, if she went through a window Alfred would get mad, and _that _is a scary prospect."

Dick chuckled. "True. You call just to make sure I was coming, or was there something else?"

"I was thinking…tonight might be a good time to ambush Bruce."

"Ambush him?" Dick asked, alarmed. "I'm pretty sure that would be a stupidly dangerous thing to do-"

"No, you idiot, I mean talk to him." He sighed. "It's getting bad, Dick."

"I know. We'll talk to him." There was an indistinct voice on the other end, someone talking to Dick. "I've got to go, Tim, I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"I'll hunt you down if you don't. Bye, Dick."

Putting the phone away, Tim took a deep breath. There was nothing for it. He was going to have to go home.

---

**Seven hours later**

"It's official," Tim moaned out loud, collapsing onto the couch. "That was the worst four hours of my entire life."

Barbara – she had accompanied Dick after all – laughed. "It wasn't _that _bad, Tim."

"Yeah well Maisy Evans didn't corner you. _Three _times."

"Only because I accidentally ran over her toes when she tried."

"'Accidentally', huh?" Dick asked.

"Of course accidentally," she replied with a grin. "What kind of woman do you take me for?"

Much to Tim's dismay, the Batsignal hadn't been illuminated, and they'd been stuck in the manor for the entire night. The three were sitting in the living room while Bruce said goodbye to the last of his guests – the aforementioned Maisy Evans. Who wouldn't leave. Finally, fifteen minutes later, Bruce poked his head through the door to say goodnight, somehow _still _grinning, and with a bright scarlet lipstick mark on his cheek. His two sons exchanged serious looks, and Dick shrugged as if to say _it's now or never_.

"Actually, Bruce, we need to talk to you," he said.

Barbara, recognising a cue to leave when she heard one, headed to the door while Bruce entered. "I'll think I'll go see if Alfred needs any help…"

Wiping the lipstick from his cheek, Bruce sat and motioned to his sons. "About what?"

Dick began hesitatingly. "Well…it's just that…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "Bruce, we hate the parties. Alfred hates the parties. _You _hate the parties – I know why you have to have a party," he carried on, seeing Bruce about to interrupt.

"But you didn't have to have it here," Tim said. "The manor used to be apart from all that. Just somewhere we could all…veg'."

"Veg'?"

"Yeah. And now it's not, 'cause you don't veg' anymore. Not that you ever really did veg', but you're acting the whole time, Bruce. The whole time."

"But you doing that means that we have to as well," Dick said. "Or at least Tim does. You can do it twenty four-seven if you like, but it's not fair to expect us to do that same. You acting means we all have to. Added to which, whatever it is is affecting you badly, which means it's affecting Batman too, and I can't worry about Bludhaven and Gotham and you. Neither can Tim. We haven't relaxed in weeks."

There was a pause while Bruce absorbed that. Finally he sighed. "I know. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry," Tim said. "You're a good father, Bruce. To both of us, but…"

"We feel like we've lost you," Dick finished.

"We just want to know why."

There was a pause, and then he told them. He told them everything.

When he'd finally finished, he expected a long silence and stunned expressions. Well he got the stunned expressions. But he didn't get the long silence.

"Do it," Dick immediately said.

"Yup," Tim confirmed. "No brainer."

He blinked and raised an eyebrow. "Just like that?"

"Just like that. Face it, Bruce, with the things the League does…how likely is it that Diana will get the chance to live forever anyway? Don't you want to be happy while you can, before something happens to one of you?"

There was a knock on the door, and Alfred came in with a tray of cups. "Coffee, sir."

"I'm sure you've been listening in too," Bruce said dryly.

Alfred looked highly offended, and drew himself up with a sniff. "An Englishman never eavesdrops, Master Wayne. But if I had been, I would have to agree with Master Dick and Master Tim. Miss Diana _would _make a wonderful addition to the household." Offering a stiff nod, he moved to the door. "Goodnight, sir."

Dick stood up as well. "I should go. Got to take Babs home. Happy birthday, Bruce."

"I'm going to bed too," Tim said. At the door, he paused. "Just for tonight…as a birthday present, let yourself imagine what it would be like." He left, leaving Bruce alone with his thoughts.

Of which there were only two.

Keep Wonder Woman alive.

Or kill Diana.

He made up his mind a hundred times, then unmade it only to make it up again before dawn finally broke. As the sun rose, and the birds in the grounds began singing, Bruce got up, and headed down to the Batcave.

Before he made his decision, there was one more person he had to talk to.

---

**A/N: I know Bruce is doing an awful lot of confiding in people considering he's…well…Bruce, but Clark is one of his closest friends, and Dick and Tim are family, after all. Last chapters on the way! Probably will end up at 22 – including epilogue. Review this one please!**


	20. The Decision

**A/N: Right, I decided I'm not going to include Apollo's prophecies in this story, but I WILL be writing a short separate one – a companion piece, if you will (lol) – which will be up soon. That way if you don't want to read it, you don't have to, and if you do then you can! My thanks to Hepburn for that idea – cheers chica!**

**Chapter Twenty – The Decision**

It didn't take long. The Batplane was already fuelled, and it was the work of thirty seconds to get into the suit, load his belt with various gadgets and take off. Within five minutes of leaving the living room, Batman was on the way to Themyscira.

Even if it did have to be ultimately his decision, there was one other person that Diana being mortal would affect more than anyone else. If he didn't…and most of him still found the idea of Diana dying at any age horrifying, then Hippolyta would be the one who had to live with Wonder Woman for all eternity. Added to which, if he did, Hippolyta would lose her daughter. Losing a child wasn't something anyone should have to undergo – but that would have to be Hippolyta's choice. He would speak the words, if he had to, and he knew what he wanted…God, _so _badly…but Hippolyta had a right to decide too.

He spent the thirty minute flight to Themyscira wondering how he was going to prevent the queen of the Amazons from killing him. Deciding discretion was the better part of valour, he activated stealth mode on the plane. It didn't have the advantage of being invisible like Diana's jet, but he could reduce the sound of the engine by seventy percent. Since it would be daylight, flying high in the black aircraft wouldn't be helpful, so he'd fly low over the ocean and then parachute down onto the island. On autopilot the Batplane would fly back to the Cave, and he could get a transport back to the Watchtower once Hippolyta kicked him off her island. As he was expecting her to do immediately once she learned it was his fault that Diana was as she was.

Or she could kill him.

At least he wouldn't have to make the decision then, he thought dryly.

Commencing the autopilot sequence, he ejected about half a mile from Themyscira and glided the rest of the way onto the island, heading toward a patch of deep forest that would hopefully be deserted. If it wasn't…he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Thankfully, it was empty of all Amazons, and Batman began tracking the League communicator that it looked like Hippolyta still had. He couldn't help feeling slight relief at that; it would make everything much easier if he could go straight to the queen. As it was, it did not take him long to find the palace, and then fire a grappling hook at a high window. He slipped lightly through it, finding himself in what definitely looked like Hippolyta's private quarters – though not her bedchamber, thank God. That definitely would get him killed. The room was simple, unembellished, with very little luxury. There was a blackened grate with the remains of a fire still smouldering, a jug of what looked and smelled like wine as well as the remnants of a meal sitting on a low table. From the night before, he surmised.

On the wall there was a large circular ceramic plate, intricately painted with images from Themysciran culture. In the centre of it, feet proudly apart and hands on her hips, was the image of the Amazon champion. It was too stylised, of course; Diana's legs were too long, her waist impossibly tiny and her hair oddly green – but her eyes…her eyes were exactly right. Blue as the sea he'd just flown across, and burning with pride, with passion and determination. Everything that she was. Everything that she had been. He wasn't aware of reaching out until his gloved fingers made contact with the smooth surface of the ceramic.

The door being opened made him snatch his hand back, reflexively try and find a shadowed corner to hide in. It wasn't quite light yet, so the corners were sufficiently dark. It was a conscious effort to will himself to stand still. _Exposed_, part of him whispered. No. He was here to _be _seen, to _talk to_, not to lurk or intimidate. So when Hippolyta entered the room, her face pinched and her expression drawn, her eyes leapt to the black-clad figure standing in front of her, hands rigidly at his sides. The queen's blue eyes narrowed, but unexpectedly she didn't call for her guards. She simply shut the door behind her, only then speaking.

"What do you want on Themyscira?" she demanded. She recognised him, of course, and male or not – a hero of Themyscira was someone not to be killed immediately.

"I came to talk to you," he answered. "About Diana."

"That creature is no longer my daughter!" Hippolyta said harshly. "I want nothing more to do with it or Man's World. Leave, immediately!"

"I can bring her back," he said quietly, not moving. "But since it will affect you as well, I've come for your counsel, if you'll give it."

The queen's eyes widened before her features settled into a neutral expression. It was the same one he'd seen every politician in the world make when they were considering something. Finally, Hippolyta nodded, and sat, motioning him to do the same. Bruce did, and, after a seconds' consideration, removed his mask. This, too, obviously surprised Hippolyta, but she made no mention of it. "Speak," she ordered.

He could only repeat what he'd told Dick and Tim the night before – the same words, but said in a totally different way. His sons knew him, knew how deeply he felt without him having to overtly express it. Hippolyta, if she was ever going to become accustomed to the idea of her daughter spending the rest of her life with man, needed to realise just how much he loved her daughter. She needed to know why he'd pushed Diana away at first, she needed to know the exact moment he'd fallen in love with her, why and where. She needed to know that if he couldn't have Diana, if she never recovered from this…he'd never look at another woman as long as he lived. She needed to know Diana was…everything. She also needed to know that what had happened to Diana now…was his fault.

By the time Bruce had finished talking, his voice was hoarse with emotion and speaking so long. Hippolyta's expression had softened considerably from when he'd begun, but still wasn't friendly. Now merely wary, instead of hostile. "There is nothing in her," she finally said. "I do not understand why you have come to me."

"Because Hera came to me," he replied.

She looked utterly stunned. "The queen of the gods came to you?"

Bruce nodded. "Yes. She told me that there was a way to restore Diana, if I agreed. But that the price would be great."

"The price?" she asked, frowning. Hippolyta was more familiar with the antics and shifting whims of the gods than he, knew that even the most benevolent of magics came with sometimes appalling costs.

For the first time in their conversation, Bruce looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "Her immortality. If I say yes…Diana will grow old and one day die."

There was a long silence for a moment as Hippolyta reassessed the views she'd held about men for the last two thousand years. That he loved her daughter was unquestionable – and nothing new. She knew men could truly love women. But it was in the male way – selfish. They could love only as long as they wanted to, with no thought for the consequences of their love.

Yet here was this _man_, actually considering _her _feelings. She frowned again, deciding to make sure. "You came because you wish to seek my opinion?"

He blinked. 'Opinion' was putting it a little clinically, but it was close enough. "I love Diana. But she's your daughter," he said finally. "More than anyone else, this affects you. I couldn't kill her if you have no say in it." _I can't kill her anyway. _

Hippolyta stood and walked to the fire, adding fresh wood to it and stoking it back to life. "I asked the goddesses to give me an heir," she said finally. "Should I die, Themyscira will need a queen to rule and maintain our society." Bruce's heart sank. "But more than that," Hippolyta continued. "I asked them to give me a daughter. To give me a child that I could nurture and love as a mother should. And they did. And for many long, happy years, I had my wish. I loved my daughter as no other being on this earth. But my daughter is dead," she said, meeting his eyes. "Skatha killed her. And if you can bring life back into her heart, for however short a time, then I _beg _you to do it."

"And when she dies?" Bruce whispered.

"Then I will know she has lived a happy, blessed life." She stood, bent and kissed his brow. "With a man who loves her."

Suddenly, a soft glow of light filled the room, startling them. When it cleared, Hippolyta knelt immediately.

"Rise, Hippolyta," Hera said gently. Then she looked at Bruce. "The decision has been made."

"But…I didn't say anything," he replied.

"You did not have to. Your heart sings it." She smiled and stretched out her hand, laying it on Bruce's shoulder. "Come. Apollo awaits you."

He shook his head. "No. I don't need to see it. I just need her."

She nodded seriously. "Then I have one more thing to ask of you. I will take you to your home. Wait for Diana there. She will come to you, but in her own time."

Wondering how the goddess seriously expected him to keep his sanity, and knowing there was nothing to be gained from arguing, Bruce took a deep breath and nodded. "I will."

Hera nodded and looked toward Hippolyta, reaching out an arm to her as well. "Come, child."

There was another flash of warm light, and Bruce found himself standing back in the Cave, his nerves strained to breaking point, and every muscle in his body taut as one of Green Arrow's bowstrings.

_Wait?_

---

Wonder Woman was in the training room, battling droids through the various programmes that the computer (with the aid of Batman) had devised. She did so calmly, methodically, analysing the likely moves of the robots in front of her with the same logic, as if she were a machine herself. Her movements were smooth, but lightning fast. Sweat ran in rivulets down her face, and her breathing and heart-rate had quickened, settling into short, fast bursts. She'd tied her hair back; it was too long, she had decided, to be practical, got in her way during fighting and on missions.

She was planning on getting it cut short soon.

Without warning, the droid in front of her stopped, mid-swing for her face. She wiped her forehead and stepped back. "Computer: reactivate programme 540."

Nothing happened, so she repeated the command in the same tone. Nothing. She turned toward the door, only to be confronted by two women; both dressed in white, both with a regal bearing. Wonder Woman dropped to her knees and bowed. "Great Hera. How may I serve the queen of the gods?"

"Stand, Diana," she said.

She did, glancing at her mother. Her posture and body language indicated she was nervous, perhaps even anxious, and not a threat. "What do you want of me?" she asked.

Hera stepped closer, stretched out her hands about six inches apart from each other. Between them, a tiny pinpoint of light appeared, then grew until it was a sphere of whiteness, too bright to look at directly. "What is that?" Wonder Woman asked.

"Your soul," Hera answered softly. "Remain still, Diana."

Uncertain, but trusting that her goddess would not hurt her, Diana did as she was commanded. Slowly, when it was the size of a light-bulb, Hera sent the sphere drifting toward Diana's chest. It felt unbearably hot against her skin, and cold at the same time. Slightly behind Hera, Hippolyta shifted forward ever so slightly, her expression straining toward something.

As it penetrated her skin, though, Diana stopped wondering what was going to happen, and only screamed. Whether she was screaming in pain or in pleasure she wasn't sure, since it was equal, nerve-searing amounts of both. Every single emotion in a myriad of them went rushing through her; every memory that she'd made in the past month ran across her mind again, only this time with the emotion that should have gone with it.

She'd not laughed at one of Wally's jokes.

She'd not returned one of Kal's smiles.

She'd hurt her mother.

She hadn't cried for Shayera.

The revelation hit her with all the force of a train.

She'd flown away from-

"_Bruce!_"

The sob was barely recognisable as a word at all. Without waiting anymore, Hippolyta left Hera's side to rush to her daughters. "Diana! Diana, look at me!"

Diana's eyes snapped open, and she grasped her mothers hands tightly. "Mother, I'm sorry. I'm so so _sorry_!"

Hippolyta only gathered her daughter into her arms. "Hush, my little sun and stars. It is alright. I have you."

Both crying, and neither admitting it, the two Amazons held each other for another moment before Diana gently disentangled herself and stood up, facing Hera. "I'm mortal," she said assuredly. It felt _different_, yet exactly the same. Everything felt slightly…harsher, but more beautiful because of that.

Hera nodded. "Yes. The price for your soul."

"Thank you," Diana said softly, bowing. "Thank you."

Hera shook her head. "It is not I you need to thank, Diana." She looked at Hippolyta. "Come. You will see your daughter again soon."

The queen nodded, embracing her daughter one last time. "Take care, my little sun and stars."

"Goodbye, Mother."

Hera touched Diana's cheek, their forms already fading. "Go to him." With that, they were gone.

She would go to him, she would – she had to; it was in her soul, a pain that wouldn't fade until she was in his arms. Goddesses, what had she put him through? It would cost her all her strength, she knew, but she needed to see one other person before she went to Bruce.

Leaving the training room at a run, Diana sprinted to Shayera's room, overriding the door lock. Thankfully, Shayera was in there, sitting on her bed holding a pillow to her stomach. "Shayera," Diana whispered, feeling tears start. She let them come, the grief she felt for her friend contrasting oddly with the elation at being able to feel anything. "Hera, Shayera, I'm sorry."

When Shayera threw herself into Diana's arms without any questions, and sobbed silently, their friendship absolutely solidified. Though she wanted to be there for her sister, wanted to be a friend, the two minutes they stood there, mingled fear and anticipation grew in Diana until she couldn't stand it anymore. She drew back. "I have to go," she whispered. "But I'll be back, I promise.

Shayera nodded, wiping the tears away. "Ok."

Diana turned to the door, stopping again when Shayera called her name. The redhead gave the ghost of her old smirk. "Good to have you back, Princess."

Heart thudding painfully at being addressed as that, Diana only managed a tight nod before leaving again. This time, she didn't bother with running; she flew. Flash was in the transporter room. "Flash, transport me down to the Batcave," she ordered.

As Wally entered the coordinates into the computer, Diana surprised him with a quick hug and then a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Wally."

Before even the World Fastest Man could say anything, Diana was gone in a burst of white light.

---

**A/N: And…I think we'll leave it there for this chapter. Review please!**


	21. Bruce's Greatest Strength Version A

**A/N: Right, here's the ending. There are two versions – the clean and the not so clean. This is the clean, and stays in keeping with the 'T' rating. Needless to say the last chapter will not...**

_**And if you'd rather read that, I'm posting it straight away, so don't feel the need to read/ review this one if you don't want to. **_

**Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel to know people enjoy my work so much! **

**And…enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty One – Bruce's Greatest Strength **

Bruce was a firm believer in the adage 'patience is a virtue'. In his line of work it was, perhaps the most important strength he possessed. Waiting for his enemies to make a move on a stakeout, waiting for bullet analysis to be completed and the police to make convictions – all these things required patience to handle them. Even when fighting, he needed patience to help clear his mind, to make sure frustration didn't get the better of him. For more than ten years, patience had been his greatest asset.

Right now it had utterly betrayed him.

He hadn't stopped pacing, and wouldn't have been at all surprised if he'd worn a groove into the rock floor of the Cave by now. A dozen times his hand went up to his ear to call for a teleport, and a dozen times it came down again. She'd come. If nothing else, she had to be able to hear his heart thudding, from outer space or not. God knew he couldn't hear anything else.

After what seemed like one hundred and fifty years, Bruce's brain kicked in. He couldn't just grab her and kiss her – as attractive as that idea was. There were things that needed to be said, things that he needed to tell her. Or, more specifically, one thing, comprising of three words. Three words that with any other woman probably wouldn't have come at all, but with Diana he knew they'd just…flow. God, that sounded ridiculous.

The sound of the teleport sounded like an executioner's axe and a chorus of angels combined. For a moment both of them just stood there, silently, blue eyes scanning the face of the other. Then Diana's eyes softened, and she smiled. Only slightly, the corners of her beautiful mouth turning upward.

She didn't rush toward him, or burst into tears – she didn't want to do either of those things. There was no point in wasting tears at a moment like this, they had all their lives to cry. All she did was walk straight to him, stepping into his arms quickly and without words or fuss. Closing her eyes with a sigh of mingled bliss and delight, Diana only felt utter relief.

Bruce buried his face in her hair, also closing his eyes and holding her closer. It all clicked into place. "Diana, I love you," he said, voice open and words simple. Everything that their relationship had never, and should have, been.

She looked at him, her smile widening as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "I love you too," she murmured. "Bruce…"

They both said it together: "I'm sorry", followed immediately by both of them frowning in question at the other.

"Why should you be sorry?" he asked. _You're not the one who just killed the person you love. _

She must have seen his thoughts on his face, since her frown didn't vanish. Instead she only titled her head slightly. "Bruce, don't you dare. This is what I wanted. Perhaps not something I would have asked for, but we can do it all now. We can live the way normal people are supposed to."

"Neither of us will ever be normal, Diana, you know that," he said, kissing her forehead.

"No," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't pretend in moments like this. I love you."

"And I love you."

"Then it's perfect," she smiled.

Knowing that she was incapable of a lie, Bruce still searched her gaze, unable to quite convince himself that she was serious. Her smile widened and she chuckled softly, putting a hand to his face and pulling him to her lips, kissing him thoroughly. When she stopped, his expression was exactly as she'd hoped; utterly dazed with a slightly joyful edge. "Stop thinking," she whispered.

He smirked. "Still some thought going on, Princess."

This time, it was Bruce that kissed her, keeping it slow – there was no need for frenzied passion right now. Besides, he was pretty sure that there would be time for frenzied passion later. Like the next fifty years.

"Marry me," she said softly, planting kisses along his jaw line.

"Is that a command, Your Highness?" he asked, suppressing the urge to groan. Did she know what that did to him?

She pulled back and nodded seriously. "If you choose to take it that way."

He kissed her again. And again. And once more just for good measure. "Then what kind of loyal subject would I be if I refused?"

Laughing from sheer joy, Diana practically leapt on her- her _fiancé_, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him until it felt as though her lungs were on fire. Which didn't take as long as she thought it would; it was going to take some getting used to, this mortality thing. "Then there's only one more request I have to make of you, Bruce," she said.

"And that would be…?" he asked, nuzzling her nose.

"Love me," she said. "Properly."

He caught her meaning at once, and stared hard into her eyes for several moments. "Are you sure?"

She smiled again in the same way. The way that didn't need her to use words, but said, quite clearly, _you utterly foolish, wonderful man_. A definite _yes_.

Without waiting for his response, Diana took his hand, turned and led him up out of the Batcave. Still the middle of the day, Tim was at school, Alfred (if Bruce was right) was in the gardens. They had the whole manor to themselves – not that he was planning on leaving the master bedroom at any point today.

Clothes and inhibitions fell to the floor with equal speed, skin both flawless and scarred explored with equal care, bodies both experienced and innocent caressed with equal tenderness. The pleasure didn't surprise Diana – she'd expected that, and it was as mind-blowing as she'd known it would be – but she hadn't know, _couldn't _have known the spiritual pleasure that came from the act of love. And they made love several times during that day, giving and taking rapture in balanced measure.

Finally, when the sun set and for once Gotham didn't call, Bruce and Diana came to one, blissful realisation. It didn't matter how long it had taken, or how winding the road had been, the errors and heartbreak that littered it-

They were home.

---

**A/N: Ok, I'm the sappiest person in the universe. So sue me. Well don't. Please. In fact, please review, and tell me what you thought. To be honest, this ending isn't particularly great – but I promise the next one will be.**

**To those of you non-lemony inclined people – I truly hope you enjoyed this story, and thanks for sticking with it. **

**The Apollo Prophecies will be up shortly too – yes, I did add a plural ha ha! **

**Once again, THANK YOU,**

**Isis**


	22. Bruce's Greatest Strength Version B

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, I can't tell you how wonderful it makes me feel to know people enjoy my work so much! Here is the lemony ending – and my personal favourite.**

_**Just in case you didn't get that - this is an 'M' rated chapter, maybe even 'MA'. DO NOT read if you're offended by stuff like this. **_

**If you're not, read a****nd…enjoy!**

**Chapter Twenty One (Again) – Bruce's Greatest Strength **

Bruce was a firm believer in the adage 'patience is a virtue'. In his line of work it was, perhaps the most important strength he possessed. Waiting for his enemies to make a move on a stakeout, waiting for bullet analysis to be complete and the police to make convictions – all these things required patience to handle them. Even when fighting, he needed patience to help clear his mind, to make sure frustration didn't get the better of him. For more than ten years, patience had been his greatest asset.

Right now it had utterly betrayed him.

He hadn't stopped pacing, and wouldn't have been at all surprised if he'd worn a groove into the rock floor of the Cave by now. A dozen times his hand went up to his ear to call for a teleport, and a dozen times it came down again. She'd come. If nothing else, she had to be able to hear his heart thudding, from outer space or not. God knew he couldn't hear anything else.

After what seemed like one hundred and fifty years, Bruce's brain kicked in. He couldn't just grab her and kiss her – as attractive as that idea was. There were things that needed to be said, things that he needed to tell her. Or, more specifically, one thing, comprising of three words. Three words that with any other woman probably wouldn't have come at all, but with Diana he knew they'd just…flow. God, that sounded ridiculous.

The sound of the teleport sounded like an executioner's axe and a chorus of angels combined. For a moment both of them just stood there, silently, blue eyes scanning the face of the other. Then Diana's eyes softened, and she smiled. Only slightly, the corners of her beautiful mouth turning upward.

She didn't rush toward him, or burst into tears – she didn't want to do either of those things. There was no point in wasting tears at a moment like this, they had all their lives to cry. All she did was walk slowly to him, stepping into his arms quickly and without words or fuss. Closing her eyes with a sigh of mingled bliss and delight, Diana only felt utter relief.

Bruce buried his face in her hair, also closing his eyes and holding her closer. It all clicked into place. "Diana, I love you," he said, voice open and words simple. Everything that their relationship had never been, and everything it should have been.

She looked at him, her smile widening as she leaned in to kiss him softly. "I love you too," she murmured. "Bruce…"

They both said it together: "I'm sorry", followed immediately by both of them frowning in question at the other.

"Why should you be sorry?" he asked. _You're not the one who just killed the person you love. _

She must have seen his thoughts on his face, since her frown didn't vanish. Instead she only titled her head slightly. "Bruce, don't you dare. This is what I wanted. Perhaps not something I would have asked for, but we can do it all now. We can live the way normal people are supposed to."

"Neither of us will ever be normal, Diana, you know that," he said, kissing her forehead.

"No," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can't pretend in moments like this. I love you."

"And I love you."

"Then it's perfect," she smiled.

Knowing that she was incapable of a lie, Bruce still searched her gaze, unable to quite convince himself that she was serious. Her smile widened and she chuckled softly, putting a hand to his face and pulling him to her lips, kissing him thoroughly. When she stopped, his expression was exactly as she'd hoped; utterly dazed with a slightly joyful edge. "Stop thinking," she whispered.

He smirked. "Still some thought going on, Princess."

This time, it was Bruce that kissed her, keeping it slow – there was no need for frenzied passion right now. Besides, he was pretty sure that there would be time for frenzied passion later. Like the next fifty years.

"Marry me," she said softly, planting kisses along his jaw line.

"Is that a command, Your Highness?" he asked, suppressing the urge to groan. Did she know what that did to him?

She pulled back and nodded seriously. "If you choose to take it that way."

He kissed her again. And again. And once more just for good measure. "Then what kind of loyal subject would I be if I refused?"

Laughing from sheer joy, Diana practically leapt on her- her _fiancé_, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him until it felt as though her lungs were on fire. Which didn't take as long as she thought it would; it was going to take some getting used to, this mortality thing. "Then there's only one more request I have to make of you, Bruce," she said.

"And that would be…?" he asked, nuzzling her nose.

"Love me," she said. "Properly."

Without waiting for his response, Diana took his hand, turned and led him up out of the Batcave. Still the middle of the day, Tim was at school, Alfred (if Bruce was right) was in the gardens. They had the whole manor to themselves – not that he was planning on leaving the master bedroom at any point today.

Safely closeted inside the bedroom, they faced each other, Diana's eyes shining in anticipation. Bringing one hand up, he buried his fingers in her dark tresses and wrapped the other arm around her waist. Pulling her to him, his mouth landed on hers with more tenderness than she expected, lips hungrily caressing hers, swallowing up any protest or misgiving she might have had with no effort whatsoever. Not that she would have had. She let out a low moan and brought her arms around him as well. He drew back less than an inch, drinking in the soft look of desire on her face. When her eyes slid open, they were heavy with anticipation.

He caught her hands for a moment. "Diana…are you sure?"

She felt so serene nestled in his arms, so close to completeness. "I need to feel you, Bruce. You're already inside me." It wasn't what she'd meant to say, but as it left her mouth, it was true. Some part of him was as deep a part of her as her own soul.

"Diana…"

She smiled and put her fingers to his lips. "The next time you open your mouth, it had better be to tell me you're going to undress me," she warned gently.

He raised an eyebrow in amusement. He opened his mouth. Diana kissed him. All objections went out the window.

Diana's hands rested on his chest, then slowly moved up to his shoulders roving her hands over them, then down his arms, fingers gripping his biceps. She started off gently, but her fingers dug into the muscle with a little more force as his own hands wrapped around her waist, lifting her up against him. Her touch felt different than it had before, sending the electricity of desire trilling through his every nerve and the smell of her filling every pore. Their mouths remained locked, fused together with a heat that would have melted metal in an instant.

Her lips tore away from his for a second to place kisses all along his jaw line and brush against his ear. "I need…" She trailed off with a moan as he took advantage of her distraction, leading a path of flame along her neck. She drew in a sharp breath as his deliciously sinful mouth fastened on her ear lobe. Her fingers slid up to tangle in his hair. "Oh Hera, Bruce…" She shuddered with desire.

A great big blaring klaxon of an alarm went off in his brain as he realised just how fast he was moving. She had no experience with this. _Slow it down, Wayne. _He put the woman in his arms down for a moment, keeping her close to him. Doubt flickered across her face. "Why are you stopping?"

He took a moment to look at her, holding his breath while he took in everything – the soft lighting playing across the raven sheen of her hair, her flawless skin, the depth of the ocean in her eyes. This couldn't be about him. It was inevitable that he'd eventually get pleasure from sex anyway, but that had to be incidental to hers. It was her fist time – he had the responsibility to make sure it would be unforgettable in every right way. He let his breath out and shook his head a little. "I'm not."

She tilted her head back up to his, meeting his lips gently this time, just enjoying the feeling of kissing him for a while before she deepened it. She drew back with a smile and pulled the zipper down the back of the Kevlar suit, trailing her fingers down the skin she found there and peeling the fabric from his flesh. Letting the suit fall to the floor, she took her time exploring him, the ridges and planes of muscle on his torso. She smiled and kissed him again, then moved along his jaw line and down his throat, letting her tongue flick against his adam's apple and feeling him swallow hard as her fingers caressed his skin. It was the turn of his hands to entangle in her hair as he clenched his jaw to fight down the groan of pleasure deep in his throat. Other than that he stood as still as he could bear, letting her explore him at her leisure.

"You know, this is hardly fair," she murmured after a while, grazing her lips against one of his nipples.

He sucked in a breath before answering. "What isn't?"

She smirked up at him. "You're mostly naked, whereas I'm still fully clothed."

He looked down with some surprise to see that, yes, he was actually well on the way to being naked. Even his boots were gone. He'd been so focused on the feel of Diana's hands on him that he'd had no idea where they were going. He smirked in reply and put his lips to her ear. "We can always change that."

His hands were the ones moving this time, only undressing Diana seemed to take a million times longer than it had to undress him – even though she was actually wearing far less in terms of fabric volume. Still, his fingers knew what to do, undoing the metal clasp that held on her breastplate. The sacred armour of the Amazon champion hit the floor with a soft thud. Next came the lasso of truth, coiling like a snake next to her scarlet boots. The red bustier followed straight after that, and Diana moaned low in her throat when her breasts pushed gently against the warmth of his chest. At the feeling of her flesh on his, Bruce groaned too; a soft, urgent noise that vibrated through her, then pulled her closer, held her harder. Diana let a tiny, embarrassing whimper escape her as her sensitive breasts crush against his scarred, muscled torso, feeling her nipples draw up into tight, hard buds. The lust uncoiling in her chest pooled downward. The next time she pulled away to take a breath, she looked into his eyes, knowing that as much love and lust hazed her eyes as his. Darkened and thunderous, they told of a storm about to break.

He pushed her backward gently to sit on the edge of the bed. She did, and he knelt in front of her, taking a foot in his hands. Diana's breathing, slowing from breaking contact, sped up again when he barely ran his mouth over the inside of her knee while sliding the boot off, his hot breath driving her crazy. She got the same treatment to the other leg, her muscles flexing spasmodically in her thighs. He stood and backed off with a smirk at the expression of extreme frustration on her face. With a quiet growl, she stood too, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and crushing her mouth to his with bruising force.

Bruce moved his mouth to her neck while his hands traced down her sides slowly until they came to the hem of her panties. He drew back slightly, not moving his hands but silently asking permission. She swallowed, then nodded. He pulled them down. Diana flinched, but relaxed instantly as the material simply slid down her legs. She got tense again as his hands went on the move once more, exploring the soft skin, his mouth against hers. Her hands moved down his abs once more, then dipped into the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down. He stepped out of them as he did the same for her. For one long, protracted moment, they stood before each other, bared body and soul. Strangely though, neither one looked away from the others' gaze. Bruce reached out to cup her face, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I love you," he murmured, eyes searching her face. The trust he found there was almost overwhelming.

"Feeling's mutual," she whispered back.

She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss. He ran rough palms down a smooth back, biting at her bottom lip slightly. She groaned and allowed him to deepen the kiss, guiding his tongue into a slow, sensual dance. Without breaking the embrace, Diana took his hands and laced their fingers together, drawing him backward to the bed. She sat down on its foot, then lay down, bringing Bruce to lie on top of her. The feeling of his warm weight above her made her feel…complete.

His mouth trailed fiery kisses up the column of her neck, leaving her breath catching with tiny delicious sounds as her fingers entwining in his hair. Coming to the shell of her ear, his teeth found the lobe and gave a tiny nip; at the change of sensation, Diana drew in another sharp breath and gave that moan that was swiftly becoming his favourite sound in the world. That was, until, he tongued one nipple, teasing it into a small pink stone. She arched her back and let out his new favourite sound. "Bruce…"

Never in a million years had she ever thought she could feel like this, that her body could surrender to the desires of another so completely, that her every nerve could spread lightning trilling through her cells. She felt his hand brush down her stomach and rough fingertips caress along her ribs, counting each one with his thumb and into the curve of her hip, revelling in the shiver that raced across her skin. She felt the prickles of arousal burn in her other breast, bereft of Bruce's attention and practically crying out for it. Unconsciously, one of her own hands came up to ease the ache, pinching and tugging gently while her other hand kept Bruce's mouth inflicting the wonderful torture where it was. His hips lay in between her legs, and she arched again instinctively against the hardness that she found there.

It was Bruce's turn to groan in pleasure as she rolled her hips again, the tip of his length given a teasing preview of hot wet heat when it came briefly into contact with her burning sex. Her hands were moving again, mapping out the plane of every muscle in his back, raking her nails instinctively down the smooth skin flexing in desire. Bruce let out a soft hiss at the slight pain, then grazed his teeth against her nipple in retribution, milking another moan from her kiss-swollen lips. He trailed one hand down her skin until his fingertips reached her lower stomach. She moved like sinew, twisting and writhing in liquid motion under his touch. When his fingers passed her throbbing sex to trail over her thigh, she growled in protest and pulled Bruce up to her mouth, sinking her teeth slightly into his bottom lip. He grinned and kissed her properly, moving his tongue around hers and devouring her lips with the same barely-contained intensity that his hands were exploring her skin.

She clutched at his shoulders. "Bruce, _please_, just…" She wasn't sure why she wanted it to be over so soon – but she knew that it was going to hurt. If she got it over quickly then the pain would fade faster and-

Bruce seemed to read her fears playing across her features with ease. "Princess…" he breathed, running a rough palm gently back up her thigh, "…does it hurt now?" he asked, fingertips sliding up to the juncture between her legs.

She drew in a sharp gasp as his fingers slipped into searingly hot wetness. All trepidation melted away in the jolts of pleasure flaring through her. "N-no…Oh Hera…"

The pad of his thumb touched against her clit, then began drawing lazy circles against the bundle of nerves. He smiled against her neck, continuing to place kisses on it. "Then relax…and don't worry until it does."

Diana was well on the way to not understanding what the word 'worry' meant anymore. Her muscles were beginning to tense as his fingers slid smoothly in and out of her, her toes curling as his thumb continued to tease against her clit. She'd had climaxes before – but the rush of pleasure that came when she used her own fingers was nothing like the wave of bliss about to engulf her. It seemed like every muscle in her entire body tensed, and her mind was lost in the white flare of pleasure. Her nails dug into Bruce's skin, and she threw her head back, her mouth heedlessly repeating his name over and over in a breathless litany. It seemed to take an eternity and a second for the mindlessness of it to pass, and suddenly she knew her own name again and became aware of just how hard her heart was beating.

As Bruce's mouth met hers again and he kissed her down from her high, she wondered what she should say. What, if anything, did one say? He'd just given her the most intense climax she'd ever experienced, but 'thank you' didn't fit. She settled with kissing him back with equal passion, her hands sliding up to the nape of his neck to keep his mouth to hers. From being entirely at his mercy, she now became the aggressor, wrapping her legs around his waist and grinding her still throbbing core against his pelvis. Before either of them knew it, Diana was sat astride him, her breasts pushing against his chest as she leaned down to kiss him. He put his hands on her hips and slid his hands into the sweat-streaked tangles of her hair, returning her kiss. Her fingers slid down his torso to caress his length, moving up and down in a rhythm that made him groan in pleasure. He broke away from her lips for a second to look at her; she gazed back with a mischievous glint in her eyes that he found utterly alluring. He put his lips to her ear. Until the words were leaving his mouth he had no idea which words they would be. If he'd heard them in any other time and place, with any other woman, he would have winced at them. Now though, with Diana…the words were just truth.

"You are so…beautiful."

She moved willingly when he rolled her back under him, yielding to his greater knowledge and experience. She trusted him. He would not fail her – he never had. He settled himself once more between her hips, the tip of his length brushing against her still-smouldering and tender core. She couldn't hold back the expression of nervousness from crossing her face. Seeing it, Bruce's face remained serious, yet kind and concerned. He asked the silent question, and moved forward slowly. Diana nodded, drawing in a breath at the unbelievably foreign, yet so _right_ sensation of being filled, centimetre by tantalising centimetre, by hard, hot heat. Reaching the barrier, he stopped, looking deeply into her eyes, his own serious. "This is where it hurts."

Diana smiled and placed her hands gently on his, keeping his hands stationed on her hips. "Go slow?" she asked.

He nodded. "I promise."

She took a deep breath and nodded, steeling herself. Deciding that her face had said _get it over with, _Bruce moved once – one quick thrust that tore through the barrier in a single movement. Diana drew in a breath and tightened her fingers slightly on his biceps, but gave no other reaction to the pain. It didn't actually hurt as much as she'd dreaded it would – one flare of pain, and that was already fading. She controlled her breathing for a few seconds until it went completely. Bruce didn't move while she adjusted, keeping himself still against what his every base instinct was calling for. Quite honestly he could have died a happy man right now, immersed in the woman below him.

Once the pain had gone, Diana rolled her hips experimentally, her moan flying up to join Bruce's as she discovered that the tingle sweeping through her was now of a pleasure that had the potential to become dizzying. It came again, slightly stronger as her lover began moving too, the muscles under her fingers rippling like waves. He moved like the tide; agonisingly slowly at first, inexorable and patient. Of course, neither of them had unbounded patience, and though he was true to his word, Diana found herself straining toward the ecstatic explosion, words like _harder _and _faster _now thrumming in her brain. Her body knew how to voice the words her mind didn't, arching her back against his body and bringing him deeper inside, increasing the rhythm.

She wondered for a moment what they looked like, the two of them, their bodies locked in the most primitive, primal movement there was. Yet it didn't feel like that, it didn't feel animalistic or crude. It felt like flying. It was a physical expression of the grace and power and coiled force that existed in both of them. She knew there was no music, she knew that the only soundtrack was the moaning and the slightly grotesque sound of flesh on flesh, but she could swear to all that was holy she heard it as a symphony, pushing her spirit as high as her body. The age-old dance between man and woman was consuming them both, writhing and twisting to a silent rhythm that both of them heard as blood pounding in their ears. But more than that – two people who cared for each other deeply making love was the most ascending physical experience there was – yet with _these_ two people, it became so much more than that.

They realised it as the same time.

It felt like Bruce's heart had been suddenly set on fire, the flames spreading rapidly to consume his entire body. Diana felt the same heat flood her senses, and she arched her back harder against his chest, voicelessly pleading for more of him. The pleasure built to a mind-blowing zenith of joy, and the explosion of ecstasy caused both of them to cry out in heady, senseless bliss. In that one, iridescent moment, they were one being. In those few infinite seconds, something irreversible had happened, something that didn't have a name, and was too complex to be named anyway. But something…had changed, melded something wonderful into something phenomenal. They held to each other, hearts bursting and lungs heaving, to avoid losing their minds in the wake of the tsunami.

Still breathing hard, Bruce let his head collapse slightly to the side of Diana, his weight resting heavily on her body. She didn't care, instead hugging him closer and pressing kisses all over his forehead, revelling in the feel of him still inside her. She was still breathing hard, in tandem with the gasps he was taking. He rolled onto his side, still running his fingers endlessly over her face and through her hair. His eyes roved all over her face, taking in the sheen of sweat on her shimmering skin and the deep sated sapphire of her eyes. She glowed. There'd be no point in saying it again, but there really was only one word for her; _beautiful_. It made him realise how grossly overused that word was. Perhaps along with 'love' it should be filed away in a box and taken out only when truly deserved. God knew Diana deserved both.

Bruce was trembling, she realised suddenly. His fingers running through her sweat-streaked hair were shaking uncontrollably, and she could feel his heartbeat still thudding erratically against her own chest. His entire body was quivering. "Are you alright?" she whispered. "You're trembling."

A soft, sexy smile spread slowly across his face, and he nodded slowly. "I'm fine."

She grinned and pressed a kiss to his lips. "Thank you," she said seriously, feeling like she was pronouncing it with her whole heart. "That was…"

He kissed her forehead, lying on his back with Diana still half-draped over him. "I know."

They were still only as long as it took for them to recover their breaths – the urge to make love and to map every part of the other was too strong, had been denied too long to stop now.

After hours of giving and taking pleasure, Bruce's breathing had settled into a slow steady pattern, and he fell asleep quickly, arms still securely around her body. Diana did not follow her lover into slumber right away, instead taking the time to breathe in the still of the dusk and the tranquillity of the silence. It felt like someone had pressed pause on a great cosmic remote control, allowing them this one endless moment, taken out of space and time to another reality altogether. One that belonged wholly to them. Diana went to sleep still feeling how ragged her breathing was, even though she was unable imagine a state of deeper relaxation than this. The sense of completeness ran to her soul, still intertwined with his.

Finally, when the sun set and for once Gotham didn't call, Bruce and Diana came to one, blissful realisation. It didn't matter how long it had taken, or how winding the road had been, the errors and heartbreak that littered it-

They were home.

---

**A/N: Ok, so there's the ending. Did you like? Apollo Prophecies will also be up shortly I hope.**

**Thank you again, to all of you, for everything. **

**  
Isis**


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